By March of the coming the year, Mason City air travelers may well be flying the friendly skies with a new name.
After six years of service from Air Choice One, the Mason City Airport Commission recently recommended a new provider, SkyWest Airlines, for the Mason City Municipal Airport. That recommendation still needs to go through the U.S. Department of Transportation, but if it clears, service from SkyWest would begin in March 2021.
According to a press release from Mason City Municipal Airport David Sims, SkyWest Airlines is proposing 12 weekly flights from Mason City to Chicago O'Hare International Airport using 50-seat regional jets that are operating as United Express carriers. Though SkyWest is a regional service provider based out of St. George, Utah, it bills itself as serving millions monthly because of its contracts with Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines.
"Their proposal will allow travelers to seamlessly travel from Mason City on United Airlines to hundreds of destinations around the globe," the press release read.
The process began in August when the U.S. Department of Transportation released an order that requested proposals for airline service for Fort Dodge and Mason City. According to the release, four air carriers responded to the request: Air Choice One, SkyWest Airlines, Boutique Air and Denver Air.
When the St. Louis-based Air Choice One took over in Mason City in Nov. 2014, the town joined Burlington as the first two cities in Iowa to have service from the air carrier.
Jared McNett covers local government for the Globe Gazette. You can reach him at [email protected] or by phone at 641-421-0527. Follow Jared on Twitter at @TwoHeadedBoy98.
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