Businesses say air service problems began before shutdown

MASON CITY | North Iowa businesses have been inconvenienced but otherwise not greatly affected by the shutdown of commercial air service at Mason City Municipal Airport.

A bigger inconvenience, according to some of them, was the unreliability of the airport's most recent carrier, Great Lakes Airlines.

"We always tried our best to support the local airport," said Jim Hasty, general manager of Iowa Mold Tooling in Garner.

He said the company made use of the airport for sales people, clients, distributors and corporate people flying in and out.

"Now we have to drive to Minneapolis, Des Moines or Rochester for flights. So there's definitely been a lack of convenience for us," he said.

Jodi Ball, a spokeswoman for Mercy Medical Center-North Iowa, also said lack of commercial air service into Mason City has been an inconvenience.

"It has taken away the option of having employee candidates, including physicians, flying directly into Mason City," she said.

The shutdown has not affected Metalcraft, according to Steve Doerfler, company president and chief executive officer. "We do almost everything through FedEx and UPS. And there hasn't been any impact on our customers."

Shaun Arneson, interim president of the North Iowa Corridor Economic Development Corp., said he is not aware of any businesses hurt by the commercial air shutdown.

Hasty and other business people said their experience using Great Lakes was not ideal.

"They were not reliable," he said. "Sometimes with their delays it was quicker to drive to Minneapolis.

"We need frequency, we need dependability and we need the ability to make connections. Great Lakes didn't connect to anything," said Hasty.

Other business people also said they had already stopped flying in and out of Mason City because of Great Lakes' unreliability, so the lack of commercial air service hasn't been much of an adjustment for them.

Airport Commissioner Tom Hovland, a business person who is also a private pilot, said the lack of commercial air service in Mason City is a huge concern.

"It's so important to our community," he said. "And the Great Lakes experience was costly. We had a good record when they came in. We never had any trouble reaching 10,000," he said, referring to the number of passengers needed annually for the airport to receive a $1 million grant from the FAA.

The airport reached the 10,000 passenger level every year for nearly 30 years until Great Lakes took over. The level dipped under 10,000 in 2012 and fell below 5,000 last year.

Airport officials fielded many complaints about Great Lakes. The main problems, particularly early on, were flight delays and cancellations, according to Airport Manager Pam Osgood.

"The public lost trust," she said.

Hovland put it bluntly. "They promised us everything but delivered us nothing," he said.

Fnding an airline to serve Mason City is not easy. When the Airport Commission solicited proposals after Great Lakes pulled out, only two airlines responded -- and one of those was Great Lakes. The other, Air Choice One, offered nine-passenger planes and flights to Chicago or St. Louis.

"It takes a lot of flights on a nine-passenger plane to reach 10,000," said Joni Dunn, chairwoman of the Airport Commission. She pointed out the planes actually handle a maximum of eight passengers plus the pilot.

"A flight from here to Chicago on that small a plane is not very comfortable," she said.

The commission turned down both proposals and has now received FAA approval to seek new offers.

"It's not easy finding another airline," said Hovland. "Even if someone expresses interest, there are a lot of moving parts. Are they big enough, are they on time, are there connecting points? There's a lot to consider."

Great Lakes Airlines, which served Mason City for nearly two years, suspended service in February because of a pilot shortage.

The Airport Commission has been working since then to find a suitable replacement but has come up empty so far.

On Friday, the U.S. Department of Transportation authorized the requesting of proposals from airlines interested in providing service to Mason City and Fort Dodge, using the Essential Air Service federal subsidy program.

Deadline for proposals is June 2. The DOT will forward the proposals to Mason City for Airport Commission members to assess them and make a recommendation. The process will take several weeks.

Meanwhile, North Iowa Air Service, which operates out of the airport, provides air service, but there are some conditions.

"We are geared more for the business traveler than for family vacations," said Todd Kyle, vice president and operations manager.

"It's important for the public to know when you fly with us you're not purchasing a seat, you're purchasing a plane, and it's expensive." said Kyle.

A charter flight to Minneapolis is $1,200; to Chicago it's $2,500. "But if there's five of you dividing the cost, it's $500 apiece," he said.

Kyle said North Iowa Air Service recently provided transportation for eight to Annapolis, Md., and back.

"I don't want anyone to misunderstand," he said. "I am a strong supporter of commercial air service returning at the airport. I want to see it back. It's important for the community."  

Source:   http://globegazette.com