October 15, 2008
- Coos Bay / North Bend, Oregon
Airport board weighs options for northbound flights
By Azenith Smith
NORTH BEND - A day after dedicating the new airport terminal, the Coos County Airport District Board now focuses their efforts on the big dilemma. What to do now that Horizon Air no longer wants to offer northbound flights?
To help them weigh their options, the board turned to their consultant Mike Boggs at a board meeting on Wednesday. First, Boggs explained why Horizon decided to leave, saying it's primarily their move to offer bigger aircrafts, the Q-400's, which could not work in this market. "As you go up in the size of airplanes, then in some cases, if the market can't support it, you have to lessen the number of flights you operate," says Boggs. "What it appears to us is that this airplane was so large for this market, the frequency would be less. As a result, passenger traffic would suffer." And, although the board understands Horizon's business reasons, they're now exploring three main options, including meeting with Horizon. "We want to talk to Horizon face to face to see if there is a last chance to restore service," says Board Chair Mike Lehman. "Secondly, we're looking into our legal rights under the Essential Air Service program, which says, the airline cannot abandon us unless they can prove there's a need. Third, we're looking into other airlines for northbound service." In the coming days, the board plans to write to the Department of Transportation to state their case under the Essential Air Service program. They're also looking to have face-to-face meetings with both Horizon and Skywest as soon as possible. |
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