Mike Hall: from Air Force to airport and beyond

Late last week, Mike Hall, director of the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, announced his retirement, which will take effect Sept. 30 of this year. Throughout the next year, Hall will continue working with the airport in a consultancy role, helping the airport to expand its service and secure grants. After his retirement, Hall will be focusing his efforts around his work with the New York Aviation Management Association (NYAMA).

While Hall has worked for the airport for seven years, his passion for aviation spans decades. Hall was born and raised in Tompkins County and went to college at Cornell University. While there, he was in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program, and after college, he joined the Air Force, where he served for 27 years.

Hall joined the county airport seven years ago as its director, and within the first few years in his role, he helped the airport make significant strides quickly.

“The key thing in any organization is to create an environment where people can do their job to the best of their ability,” Hall said. “In the first few years, we worked hard on creating that environment, and I think the record speaks for itself. Since then, we’ve been at the very top of airports in terms of any way you want to rate them — operational efficiency, safety.”

Hall faced plenty of challenges in his time with the airport, including helping the airport to completely update its terminals and security systems, a project that cost around $8 million.

“When I took over, the terminal, which is what most people in the community see at the airport, … had not been updated since 1994,” he said. “We were able to successfully compete for one of the five awards that the state gave out. And that was the key piece of funding, along with some critical federal funding, that allowed us to completely redo the terminals. So today, it’s not only fully compliant with security, but it’s also much more efficient and, of course, a much more pleasant space for people who are traveling.”

In addition, Hall helped to expand the airport’s passenger service with new nonstop service to Charlotte and Washington Dulles (see t.ly/xWEf), transition the airport to an updated, fully renovated facility, secure state funding to move the state’s Department of Transportation site to airport property from its previous downtown Ithaca location and develop the new customs facility, which allowed the airport to accommodate international flights and thus add “International” to its name.

While the pandemic also created its own set of challenges for the airport, Hall said the pandemic didn’t have a great impact on airport operations.

“The biggest thing, of course, was that the airlines pulled down service because people couldn’t travel and weren’t traveling,” he said. “But throughout the entire pandemic, two of our airlines, Delta and American, maintained service, which was absolutely vital because while there wasn’t free travel during the pandemic, people still had family crises where the only way to really travel to get to see their family member, a friend or whatever was by air.”

No matter the challenge, Hall has remained dedicated to the airport, which he sees as a critical component of economic development in the county.

“We’re home to a globally connected university and other industries that have similar connections, and there has to be some transportation to support that activity, or you become just another small town in upstate New York,” he said. “So, I think that being able to make a contribution at the airport to keep it up to date is a vital part of supporting the economic development of Tompkins County.”

The next chapter of Hall’s life will be focused on statewide aviation issues, he said. Hall is currently part of the executive team at NYAMA, which has over 15,000 members. Hall said there are two big changes at the state level expected to affect aviation — the recent change in state administration and another round of upstate airport grants.

“We want to make sure that through the many changes that are taking place, … the [State] Legislature and the governor’s office have full access to all the information about the vitality and importance of aviation in New York, so [it’s] an opportunity to advocate statewide,” Hall said. “And that’s important.”

Hall also plans to help lead work surrounding diversity, equity and inclusion in the aviation field. He said many NYAMA members are still working to recover from the pandemic, and this recovery phase is the “perfect opportunity” to “do a more effective job of bringing in people who haven’t automatically turned to aviation as a career field in the past.”

“It’s important, in terms of recovery, that we be viewed as an inclusive industry,” he said. “And it’s extremely important, in terms of sustainability, that we be inclusive because we’re one of those industries where a large portion of what we do is interact with the public, and the public eye is an eye that looks to see how diverse and inclusive an organization is. … We will be stronger businesses, stronger organizations, if we are open to all in New York state who are seeking to work in the aviation industry.”

While Hall said he’s looking forward to his work with NYAMA, he knows he’ll never forget his time at the airport. He said that though the work is enjoyable, his favorite part of his job has always been the people.

“The team here at the airport is just outstanding, perfect people across the board,” he said. “This is an airport 24/7 operation, and all of us have been part of that. And when you get good people, they work hard, they know their job, it’s just a real pleasure to be a part of a group like that.”

For more information about the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport, visit flyithaca.com. To learn more about NYAMA, visit its website at nyama.aero.