Airport holds off on picking new airline

After hearing from the two air carriers vying to win Cape Girardeau's business and listening to a pitch from the marketing director for Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, the Cape Girardeau Airport Advisory Board couldn't make a choice.

With a Friday deadline from the U.S. Department of Transportation looming, the board members Tuesday evening agreed to meet again at 8 p.m. today to talk again. The board did decide that they didn't want the airline chosen to replace Big Sky Airlines to fly to Cincinnati.

The members heard little Tuesday during a three-hour meeting that gave them hope that Cape Girardeau will see commercial passenger service again any time soon. Shane Storz, CEO of Air Choice One of Farmington, Mo., appeared in person to pitch his family-owned company's bid to serve Cape Girardeau with nine-seat, single-engine aircraft with flights to St. Louis.But when pressed by board members about the time frame for beginning service, Storz said it would be a minimum of 90 to 120 days before flights would begin.

And Chuck Howell, president of Great Lakes Airlines, couldn't provide a firm time, either, for when his company would be able to start service. Great Lakes is offering the choice of St. Louis, Kansas City or Cincinnati as destinations.

Great Lakes is in the middle of taking over markets in other cities, including some routes in Montana that were served by Big Sky Airlines, the company that grounded its planes six weeks after opening service from Cape Girardeau to Cincinnati.

Howell said his company has neither airplanes nor pilots ready to begin service here or the two other cities linked with Cape Girardeau in a U.S. Department of Transportation contract under the Essential Air Service program.

Neither company has code-share agreements with major airlines for the Cape Girardeau service. Code-share arrangements are partnerships that allow booking through to an ultimate destination through the ticketing for one airline.

The decision was put off, board chairman Gerry Keene said, because members were tired and needed time to consider their options. The Cape Girardeau City Council is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Thursday to finalize the city's recommendation on air service.

The final decision is up to the transportation agency. Spokesman Bill Mosley said the decision could be made next week.

Cape Girardeau lost air service Jan. 7 when Big Sky Airlines collapsed under the strain of attempting to expand in the eastern U.S. The previous carrier, RegionsAir, was grounded in March by the FAA, and service at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport didn't return until Nov. 18.

One city linked to Cape Girardeau in the air service has already made a choice. The Jackson, Tenn., Airport Authority voted to recommend Great Lakes as the carrier, the Jackson Sun newspaper reported.

Air Choice One would take passengers from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis. The company views itself as the "BART by air," Storz said, referring to the Cape Girardeau company that uses vans to transport passengers to flights in St. Louis.

He also said Air Choice One is operating on a business model that would allow it to keep flying if the Essential Air Service subsidy program was canceled. "The whole model we have been trying to develop is to reach out to the small communities," Storz said.

For Howell, the key to timing the resumption of air service is a matter of obtaining the airplanes that Big Sky no longer needs. "Our assumption is that as long as we can get airplanes, we can fulfill the contract," Howell said.

The lack of commitment left board members with an uneasy feeling. "I get an itchy feeling when I think about Great Lakes," board member Bill Dunn said.

Three regular users of air travel attended the meeting and gave their opinions. On of them, Jason Edwards, a market development manager for Printpack Inc., said he spent 140 days traveling last year, flying to most destinations.

Edwards prefers a route that takes him to St. Louis. Worried about the ability to obtain tickets on short notice if Air Choice One gets the contract, he said a code-sharing arrangement is crucial for optimal service.

Brian D. Kinsey, the marketing director for Lambert Airport, said the chosen carrier, if it flies to St. Louis, would receive marketing help and other assistance to help it succeed. "We take it personally when a Missouri community chooses to fly to another state," he said.

rkeller@semissourian.com

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