The U.S. Department of Transportation has officially announced
that two airlines are interested in providing commercial air
service to Bradford Regional Airport.
Current carrier Colgan Air Inc., and RegionsAir Inc., of
Nashville, Tenn., have submitted proposals to the federal agency to
provide two years of service to the rural facility. The deadline to
submit bid documents under the federal Essential Air Service
program was Monday.
Not bidding on the service were former carrier Mesa Air Group
Inc., which had a rocky relationship with airport officials, or
CommutAir, which flies under the Continental banner out of New York
state. CommutAir was the first choice of Bradford officials to
provide service the last time proposals were requested.
“Our future goal is to get off EAS entirely,” Airport Director
Tom Frungillo said Thursday. “But our immediate goal is to find
good connections and fares in a thriving hub. We want to find a hub
that provides destinations where people in this region want to
go.”
That changeover could come at either Washington Dulles
International Airport or Cleveland’s Hopkins International Airport
– both of which are being offered as hub cities by the bidding
airlines.
“A lot of communities are, unfortunately, looking at going to a
new city or hub because of the uncertain situation in Pittsburgh,”
Frungillo said.
A long-standing US Airways hub, Pittsburgh’s profile has been
diminished over the past few years, resulting in the loss of some
connections to other cities and international destinations. US
Airways has merged with AmericaWest, forming the first
full-service, low-cost carrier nationwide.
“The information I’ve looked at so far has Washington Dulles
very competitively priced,” Frungillo said.
According to a copy of the dockets which contain the bidding
information supplied to the DOT, Colgan – which announced in
September it was looking to renegotiate its two-year contract under
EAS because of increased operating costs – indicates it could
provide service to Bradford in partnership with nearby Chautauqua
County (N.Y.) Jamestown Municipal Airport to Pittsburgh
International Airport with a federal subsidy of $2,434,827; option
two has Colgan flying to Washington Dulles International Airport at
a subsidy of $2,837,967.
The documents indicate both options to Pittsburgh and Washington
would consist of three non-stop or one-stop round trip flights each
weekday and over the weekend using 34-seat Saab 340 airplanes,
which come complete with a lavatory and steward. The current flight
schedule in Bradford would also remain relatively unchanged.
Colgan has a code-sharing agreement with United Airlines in
Washington, which allows a traveler to use the ticket he purchased
in Bradford to board another airline at a connecting airport
without having to pay for two fares. Conversely, RegionsAir is
looking into a code-sharing agreement with Continental in Cleveland
and also flies under the auspices of American Airlines.
RegionsAir also submitted two proposals – one using a 19-seat
British Aerospace J32 airplane, which doesn’t have a lavatory or
steward service. The airline also flies the 34-seat Saab.
According to the documents, RegionsAir would require $1,288,637
in federal subsidy to service Bradford and Jamestown to Cleveland
with the J32 aircraft. In its second option, the airline indicates
it will cost $1,649,913 for the same service using the larger
Saabs.
Like Colgan, RegionsAir is offering three non-stop or one-stop
round trips each weekday and over the weekend.
Frungillo said as an EAS station, carriers are required to
provide at least three round-trip daily flights to the airport, and
34-seat airplanes as part of the shared agreement with
Jamestown.
“We’re going to look over the proposals, evaluate them and also
talk to both carriers,” Frungillo said. “We are also looking to get
the community’s input on what it prefers.”
Formerly known as Corporate Airlines, RegionsAir has be in
existence since 1996, according to the airline’s Web site. The
company also touts stand up headroom, in cabin storage and leather
seating.
The airline currently provides EAS service to eight locations in
six states across the Midwest.
Frungillo said airport officials will have 30 days to make a
recommendation to the DOT, who then review the paperwork and issue
a final decision. Officials said there is no time frame for when a
final ruling could be handed down, but will likely take place after
the first of the year.
Until that time, Colgan is “locked into” providing service to
the airport until Jan. 26. Following that date, Colgan’s service
obligations will continue in 30-day increments until a permanent
carrier is found.
