MOUNT ALTON — Members of the Bradford Regional Airport Authority learned Wednesday that they could consider an option of restoring one of the daily flights to Pittsburgh International Airport that was eliminated by Southern Airways Express in June.
Mark Cestari, SAEs chief commercial officer, informed the authority members of this possibility through a ZOOM call at their regularly scheduled monthly meeting.
When Southern initiated their three direct daily flights from Bradford to Washington Dulles International Airport in June, the previous four daily flights to Pittsburgh were cut back to one. “The decision to have three daily flights was based on the assumption that in the spring people would be returning to work after the pandemic, but with the Delta variant, that hasn’t happened,” said Airport Manager Alicia Dankesreiter. “The federal government’s offices are still not fully staffed.
“Further complicating the issue is the fact that the European Union has changed entry requirements for international travelers, which has delayed the air travel segment from bouncing back.”
The decision to restore the one Pittsburgh flight rests with the airline and airport authority. Approval from the Federal Aviation Administration is not required.
Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh flight remains popular. Airline and airport authority members still believe that the Washington Dulles market will be very profitable.
Ryan Dach, director of security and director of Mid-Atlantic/New England Hometown Stations for Southern, reported that in August, 105 of the 107 scheduled flights were completed, a 98 percent rating. The average passenger per day count was 10.11.
In another matter, authority members discussed rising operational costs at the airport, which opened in 1948.
“As the airport ages, it becomes more expensive to maintain and repair the infrastructure,” Dankesreiter said. “The authority is responsible for keeping pace with rising operational costs.”
To address this situation, the authority has established a finance committee. It held its first meeting in July. “Representatives of the airport authority, Northwest Bradford Area Alliance and county commissioners met to consider the airport’s finances and make sure it is well-suited for the future,” Dankesreiter said.
Airport engineer Brian Wolfel reported that the parking lot and obstruction removal projects are now finished.
In a personnel matter, authority members agreed unanimously to recommend the county commissioners appoint Terry Burlingame of Smethport to fill the vacancy on the authority. A retired American Airlines pilot and now a flight instructor at Bradford, Burlingame would replace Ron Dankesreiter of Cameron County who resigned in 2020.
