Columbia Likes Mesa Option To Fly To KC

Members of Columbia, Mo.'s Airport Advisory Board are convinced a Beechcraft B1900D airliner would provide a more comfortable ride than a British Aerospace Jetstream 32.

Partly because of that, the panel voted Wednesday to endorse a proposal by Mesa Air Group to provide passenger service at Columbia Regional Airport. The Phoenix-based firm has offered to use the 19-seat turboprop Beechcraft planes to provide daily flights to Kansas City and St. Louis for an annual federal subsidy of $598,751.

"A Beechcraft is a little more comfortable -- a little more headroom," Randy Eckley said. "But that's subjective."

Mesa, part of Wichita, Kan.-based Air Midwest, is competing with another company -- RegionsAir -- to provide passenger service at the airport. The current carrier, Trans States Airlines, announced in February it would pull out of Columbia, though it is required by federal law to provide service until a new provider is found.

With the advisory board's vote yesterday, the issue moves to the Columbia City Council, which likely will decide Monday whether to accept the Mesa proposal. A decision must be forwarded to the U.S. Department of Transportation by June 9, Airport Manager Kathy Frerking said.

RegionsAir of Smyrna, Tenn., has proposed using the older Jetstream planes to provide 24 roundtrip flights per week only to St. Louis for an annual subsidy of $728,438.

Mesa also included in its proposal a Kansas City-only option for $793,830.

Throughout the advisory board's 90-minute meeting yesterday at the Daniel Boone Building, it seemed Mesa's plan to offer flights to two cities ultimately would outweigh the RegionsAir plan. Mesa will offer two flights daily to St. Louis as well as two daily flights to Kansas City, according to its plan.

As city council members did earlier this month, advisory board members lauded Mesa for including flights to Kansas City in its plan. Some said the additional flights, if successful, could lead to flights to other cities in the future.

"The possibility of going to Kansas City from Columbia intrigues me," said Robert Taylor, a former commercial pilot and vice chairman of the board.

"It seemed like it opened the door to more opportunities," he said.

Trans States, which will continue providing its existing level of service until a replacement carrier is found, offers three Columbia-to-St. Louis flights Sunday through Friday. Two flights are offered on Saturdays.

"I think" the Mesa proposal "gives travelers more options, more flexibility," Eckley said.

Another feature of the Mesa plan that board members said they found attractive is a proposed "walkup" fare that would ensure passengers from Columbia one-way tickets to either city for $59. However, there was some discussion about whether the charge would be permanent.

Frerking said Mesa and RegionsAir have agreed to the $59 fares for six months, though she said they could change the fare after that time.

Federal officials will decide which company will provide service to the city after accepting input from Columbia and Jefferson City officials.

Jefferson City Airport Division Director Ron Craft said discussions on the two options are continuing there.

Copyright (c) 2006, Columbia Daily Tribune, Mo.

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