WARWICK, RI – June 22, 2020 – The Rhode Island Airport Corporation (RIAC) is pleased to announce the continuation of an agreement with the New England Patriots for marketing and advertising rights in exchange for waived airport fees at T. F. Green Airport (PVD) through June 30, 2025. As part of the extended agreement that runs through June 30, 2025, the New England Patriots team aircraft will remain parked on T.F. Green Airport’s taxiway run-up when not in use. RIAC will have the right to relocate the aircraft to an alternative site should the need arise.
Approved by the RIAC Board of Directors on June 11, 2020, the marketing agreement will also help T.F. Green Airport in its efforts to improve awareness of the airport’s location. The recognition that comes with being the “official airport of the New England Patriots,” is especially valuable given that airline consultants have suggested that the name of T.F. Green Airport be changed to help raise awareness of the geographic location of the airport.
A 2018 brand awareness poll conducted for RIAC surveyed 1,509 respondents in four separate segments, which included 609 Rhode Island residents, 300 Connecticut and Massachusetts residents, 300 air travelers from major U.S. cities and 300 air travelers from Europe. The poll was conducted by Pan Atlantic Research and revealed that only 10.3 percent of U.S. respondents correctly named Providence and/or Rhode Island as the city/state served by T.F. Green Airport. Additionally, the survey of travelers from outside of New England found that 81.7 percent of respondents believe that the name “Rhode Island International Airport” best represents the destination of Providence, RI and the surrounding area.
PVD’s catchment area is made up of 7.5 million people within a 90 minute drive of T.F. Green Airport for an estimated 45 million potential passengers each year. Currently, Logan Airport in Boston attracts an average of 41 million passengers annually, while PVD’s market share is an estimated 4 million passengers. Efforts to boost Rhode Island’s market share has included strategies to increase top-of-mind awareness of T.F. Green Airport within the catchment area.
The partnership between T.F. Green Airport and the New England Patriots is one way RIAC has worked to continue this multi-year effort to market to this local “catchment area,” which includes eastern Connecticut, Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, which are among the areas where fan interest in the Patriots is strongest. The RIAC Corporation has also benefitted from other aspects of the marketing agreement, including the Patriots’ considerable social media presence to help raise awareness among the millions of New England Patriots across the nation and promote flights to away games. About T.F. Green Airport: A convenient and low-cost international gateway to New England, T.F. Green Airport (PVD) has a large catchment area with 7.5 million residents within 90 minutes of the airport. It attracts passengers from nearby Massachusetts and eastern Connecticut. PVD is located just outside of Providence, Rhode Island. Well known for ease of traveler access, affordable parking and short lines, T.F. Green Airport was named as one of USA Today’s “Readers’ Choice Best Small Airports” for 2020.
