CITY EXPLORES POSSIBILITY OF ADDING AIRLINE SERVICE

City officials who last week visited a Texas-based commuter airline company are hopeful the trip will generate additional airline service at the Cape Girardeau Municipal Airport.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer; Airport Manager Mark Seesing; J. T. Seesing, a member of the Airport Advisory Board; Judy Moss, director of economic development for the Chamber of Commerce; and Public Works Director Doug Leslie flew to Dallas-Forth Worth to talk with representatives of Lone Star Airlines about prospects of the company serving the Cape Girardeau airport.

Leslie and Mark Seesing said that although no definitive agreement was reached with the company to bring their airline to Southeast Missouri, they thought the trip was productive and promising.

"I think it was a positive meeting," said Leslie. "They're interested in looking further at Cape and we're providing them with additional information that they're needing.

"There's nothing definite that could be construed as a commitment, but they're interested in exploring the possibility of serving Cape Girardeau."

Seesing said: "I was very optimistic when I came out of the meeting. I think we've got a very good prospect there."

Leslie said Lone Star, a small, independent commuter carrier, previously had expressed interest in bringing airline service to Cape Girardeau. He said last week's meeting was the first opportunity for city officials to meet Lone Star representatives.

"We're hoping to know something further this fall as to their continued interest or indication of interest in serving Cape Girardeau," the public works director said.

"I don't want to give the impression there's something certain here, but they're very interested in learning more about Cape Girardeau and the surrounding area."

Leslie said the city is compiling demographic and flight information for the company, which will be exchanged for background information on the airline and its services.

"They would research points they're wanting to travel to, and we'll be doing some research on that too," he said. "They also will be looking at how this ties into their system."

Leslie said Lone Star now serves cites in Texas; Arkansas, including Jonesboro; Indiana; and Tennessee.

"The exact cities they would serve potentially from Cape Girardeau is something they want to study a little bit more," he said. "That's some of the information we'll be studying to present them points people would be choosing as connections to Cape Girardeau."

Seesing said the company flies a 19-passenger, turbo-prop aircraft similar to the aircraft used by Trans World Express, the airport's commercial carrier. He said additional airline service in Cape Girardeau could only help to reverse a decline in airport boardings.

The city will lose $300,000 in annual entitlements from the Federal Aviation Administration if the boardings fall below 10,000 a goal officials have said is unlikely this year.

"Anything to go along with what we have and to supplement the service out there would be good," Seesing said. "They have some excellent ideas to go along with service in Cape Girardeau."

Seesing said: "Stimulating the market with a new carrier would not only benefit me, but benefit (TWE). I think one of their biggest problems right now is public trust. Bringing another airline into Cape Girardeau would help build that up again.

"I think just basically trying to keep the public interested in the airport and keep people flying in and out of Cape will benefit any commuter airline interested in maybe flying out of here."

Seesing said another carrier would increase opportunities for flights from Cape Girardeau, which would improve reliability and service.

He said the airline also might open doors to new destinations from Cape Girardeau. TWE only flies between Cape Girardeau and St. Louis.

"We're looking into other cities, not just the St. Louis area or the Memphis area," Seesing said. "We're looking at cities that would better serve the flying public in general."

Some of the possible connections the Texas airline might offer include, Dallas-Forth Worth, Chicago and Cincinnati.

Leslie said the city also has contacted other commuter airlines that might be interested in serving Cape Girardeau. He said additional airline service undoubtedly would increase boardings while improving service at the airport.