Airline: Cancellations not due to lack of fliers

Recent flight cancellations in and out of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport were due to a combination of factors but not a lack of passengers, officials say.

In June, 19 departing and arriving flights at the airport were canceled. Four have been canceled so far in July, according to RegionsAir president Doug Caldwell.

The cancellations occurred due to mechanical problems and pilots gone for annual training or illness, he said.

Caldwell stressed that the cancellations had nothing to do with a lack of passengers. Planes will fly to their destinations regardless of how few passengers are aboard because they might have to return with passengers, he said.

The airline's reasoning for the cancellations provided little comfort for some travelers at the airport Friday morning.

"We're missing our first day on the beach," said Becky Prost.

Prost and her husband, Rick, both 49 of Cape Girardeau, were originally scheduled to fly out of Cape Girardeau to St. Louis for a connecting flight to Tampa for their vacation. With the 6:20 a.m. flight cancellation, their arrival time was pushed back four hours.

The Prosts said they chose to fly out of Cape Girardeau based on the airport's recent advertisements. They were told by the airline Thursday afternoon their flight was bumped.

Had they known their flight would have been postponed four hours when they booked it, Becky Prost said, they would have chosen to have just driven to St. Louis instead of flying.

Mary Ann Haynes, 63, of Cape Girardeau said she likes the convenience of flying out of Cape Girardeau, but the cancellation of the earlier flight caused her to miss lunch reservations at a four-star restaurant in Philadelphia with her daughter. To make up for lost time and stay for an extra day would cost her $100 to change her ticket, Haynes said.

Caldwell could not comment on the cost of changing a ticket, saying the amount often depends on connecting airlines.

-- Kyle W. Morrison