April 5, 2011

Airport Shuttles Run on Propane

“

It's a cost-effective, more environmentally conscious way to go, and we feel that's how we want to run the operation.      

”

Don Duvernay, Airport Shuttle General Manager, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International

The Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport in the Big Easy uses 27 propane-powered vans and minibuses to shuttle more than 400,000 passengers annually to and from area hotels.

The shuttle service first used this cleaner-burning fuel back in the 1990s. The current converted fleet of propane shuttles was introduced in 2008. Company officials say they prefer propane over diesel, citing a cost savings of nearly $1 a gallon, plus lower emissions and maintenance costs.

"It's a cost-effective, more environmentally conscious way to go, and we feel that's how we want to run the operation," said Don Duvernay, Airport Shuttle General Manager, Louis Armstrong New Orleans International.

The shuttle service saved more than 139,000 gallons of petroleum fuel with clean propane in 2010. Working with the Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuels Partnership, four more alternative fuel buses will be added in 2011, boosting the shuttle's role as a green welcoming committee for visitors to the Crescent City.