For many, a week at the ProfessionalDevelopment Institute (PDI) is an expensive proposition. Expenses include the tuition, transportation to Texas, lodging, and meals (beyond complimentary hotel breakfasts and lunches).

Most participants, whether they drive or fly, can expect a bill of a few thousand dollars.

In November, executives came to participate in the PDI course by means of various, and sometimes unique, financial supports. Mostly, airports covered the tuition but expected the participants to cover their own incidentals.

John Barsalou, assistant to the airport manager at Anchorage International Airport, traveled the farthest to get to the institute. He was philosophical about the support he received from his airport; he footed the entire bill himself.

"I got lots of moral support," he said. "And there is always MacDonalds and Wendys across the highway, so I didn't have to pay high prices for hotel food."

Robert Olislagers, airport manager from Bakersfield (Calif.) Municipal Airport, not only self-funded his participation at the institute but also sacrificed vacation time to attend it.

"The city of Bakersfield is financially strapped these days, and no out-of state travel is budgeted for," he said. "These are some of the first things to go when cities meet tough economic times. I have no problem paying for this myself, because it's well worth my time and money to invest in my own personal development."

At the other end of the spectrum, Las Vegas McCarran International Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport provide total financial support for their accreditation candidates.

"McCarran is supportive in the total sense," said Samuel Ingalls, strategic affairs coordinator. "They give us financial support for travel, hotel, tuition, and the fee to sign up for the whole program. And they also give us the time we need to prepare, time for writing the paper, and time for preparing for the final interview."

"I think this shows a real foresightedness on the part of management. They're looking down the road and recognizing that an accredited staff offers a real benefit for the overall welfare at McCarran."

"One of Sea-Tac's goals is to have three newly accredited professionals each year, and providing financial support helps achieve that goal," said Doug Holbrook, assistant director of aviation operations. "We already have three A.A.E.s and we want three more every year from now on.

"If it were up to me to pay for everything, I think I still would have gone through the process. It's worth it. While I don't feel beholden to Sea-Tac to commit my entire career to this airport in exchange for the support, I know they expect me to actively encourage Sea-Tac's future candidates to go through the process. That's my obligation."

Some AAAE chapters offer scholarships, providing a third avenue for funding the Professional Development Institute's experience. Not all chapters offer scholarships specifically for the institute, and each scholarship has a different set of requirements.

Bob Porter, airport manager at Arlington (Texas) Municipal Airport, attended the institute last November with the help of the South Central Chapter, who paid his tuition. Its scholarship program provides tuition for two participants each PDI session.

"I competed with six others and feel very lucky to have this opportunity," he said. The chapter evaluated all applicants on the basis of length of AAAE membership, meetings attended, role in the chapter, and an essay describing the meaning of professionalism in the airport management environment. "The help with the tuition saved about half of my expenses. These types of scholarships help folks like myself who come from smaller airports that don't have the wherewithal to finance their employees' accreditation."

Even managers from the larger airports benefit from the scholarship programs. Sandy Kelley, manager of environmental services at Memphis International Airport, participated in November's PDI session with the help of a tuition scholarship granted by the Southeast Chapter.

"I had to fill out an application and describe why I felt I should receive the scholarship over anyone else. That part made me very uncomfortable, but I wrote that my position dealing with environmental issues crosses over all the departments and the main activities of the airport."

"But, in truth, not too many people apply for the scholarship, so anyone has a really good chance of getting help with the tuition."

The rest of the expenses she had to finance herself. She ate apples in her room but admits that, when she started feeling stir crazy, she would go over to McDonalds and get a Bugs Bunny Happy Meal. She saved on transportation by driving nine hours between Memphis and Denton.

"This was great, because on the way out it gave me time to think about what I was getting into," she said. "On the way back, the drive gave me time to reflect on what happened to me during that week."