THE ISSUE: Northwest Alabama Regional Airport will be without air service until Nov. 23, when SeaPort Airlines takes over an Essential Air Service route, which will now go to Nashville rather than Atlanta. Community business and political leaders should work more closely with the new carrier to ensure that boardings increase and the quality of service is high.
The Shoals is one those markets where the economy is always full of promise but growth is slow. Where air service is concerned, the federal government subsidizes airlines willing to offer flights through the Essential Air Services program.
SeaPort Airlines, of Portland, Oregon, will begin offering flights from Northwest Alabama Regional Airport in Muscle Shoals beginning Nov. 23, taking over from Silver Airways. But there will be a gap in services. Silver is gone.
One of the complaints leveled against Silver was poor service, which airport officials said contributed to the low number of boardings. The airport’s board of directors addressed those concerns to Silver, but no one was satisfied in the end.
In the interim, before SeaPort arrives, the business community and elected officials have an opportunity to begin forging an open relationship with the airline. The lingering complaint from passengers through the years is that fares are excessive and destinations are extremely limited. SeaPort will offer flights to Nashville, not Atlanta, but Nashville is a busy regional hub that connects to flights around the world.
Muscle Shoals Regional Airport serves a small metropolitan area of 150,000 people in Colbert and Lauderdale counties and the surrounding area. It gets plenty of competition from the larger Huntsville International Airport, which is served by major airlines with many connections. That makes it all the more important that the community and the airline work closely to keep air service viable.
The Shoals airport and 11 others lost their Essential Air Services designations because of low boarding numbers. Northwest Alabama Regional Airport was given a waiver to stay in the program.
The northwest corner of Alabama will be at a disadvantage to surrounding larger markets for the foreseeable future, at least until significant growth occurs, where air service is concerned. That doesn’t, however, mean that we can’t compete.
Keeping the Shoals accessible by air is essential to economic development. If SeaPort is successful, with help from the local community, it could only strengthen the local economy at a time when job losses are a nagging concern.
- Source: http://www.timesdaily.com/opinion
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