Mesa Air Group Inc. intends to drop air service to four Arkansas cities: El Dorado, Harrison, Hot Springs and Jonesboro. However, the carrier says it will continue to provide service until regulators designate a new carrier.
The company, which lost $62 million in its fourth quarter and recently shuffled some top executives, has filed notice that it wants to discontinue service as of April 20.
Phoenix-based Mesa also served notice it wants to exit Grand Island and McCook, Neb.; Columbia, Joplin and Kirksville, Mo.; and Manhattan and Salina, Kan.
Mesa vice president for planning Thomas F. Bacon said in an e-mail Wednesday that the communities won't be left without air service because the routes are subsidized and mandated by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
"The route has been designated essential air service and we intend to serve the route until the DOT selects a replacement carrier and the new designated carrier is able to take over. We are currently serving a number of routes for which we filed exit notice last year," Bacon said.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Mesa to drop air service to Joplin, Columbia, Kirksville
Mesa has filed notice that it plans to drop air service to Joplin, Columbia, and Kirksville as April 20, according to an Associated Press article that just hit the wires.
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3 comments:
USA Today did an expose on this taxpayer boondoggle two weeks ago. Some of the government-subsidized flights (not the ones to or from Joplin) had only one or two passengers. Most of these cities have larger airports 60 to 90 miles away that should be used instead. Why can't a person from Joplin just drive to Springfield instead of forcing the government to pay the bulk of the cost. This federal program, which is now 30 years old, was intended to be only a temporary measure.
And these folks at Branson think they can build this airport in the woods south of town and the airlines will be waiting and begging to fly in here. Regional airport for the most part are an anvil around someone's neck. This one in South Branson will be no different.
Thank God we're building the new expensive airport tower! Stockham should get a job driving a shuttle bus to Tulsa, NW Arkansas, or Springfield airports.
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