Fog Clouds Visalia Debut for Mesa Air

Mesa Air Group's first day of service from Visalia to Las Vegas didn't go as planned.

Three flights scheduled for Sunday were canceled because of thick fog and some plane malfunctions.

The airline ended up paying for three South Valley travelers to take a taxi to Fresno so they could fly to Las Vegas.

Officials said it's unfortunate all three flights were canceled on the first day Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group and its subsidiary, Air Midwest, launched a schedule of 24 weekly round trips between Visalia and Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport.

"It could've been a lot better," said Lee Koseck, station manager for US Airways Express in Cedar City, Utah, who helped with flights out of Visalia on Sunday. "But the one thing I will say is that the passengers here are extremely great to work with."

The new airline replaced Scenic Air. In May, Scenic announced it wanted out of its three-year federal contract, citing rising fuel prices and a desire to refocus on its core business of tourist flights, including those from Las Vegas to the Grand Canyon.

The first Sunday flight was scheduled to depart Visalia Municipal Airport at 11:03 a.m. That plane was supposed to stop in Merced so passengers could go through a security screening before heading to Las Vegas.

However, the plane couldn't land in Visalia the previous night because of the fog, Koseck said. He added that the plane's deicing indicator was malfunctioning.

"I do apologize for this, but there's not much I can do," Koseck told travelers.

Julia Lew of Tulare and husband Chad Lew had their trip delayed when the early flight was canceled, and again when a later flight was canceled.

Sunday evening, the Lews and Mike Kim of Visalia were given a cab so they could try to catch a flight out of Fresno.

Kim also was scheduled to board the 11:03 a.m. flight.

"I have a headache," Kim said.

But despite the string of delays, Kim said Koseck tried his best to make things better. Besides, Kim said he is thankful there is a flight from Visalia to Las Vegas because it beats driving.

Julia Lew, who had tickets to a 10:30 p.m. show Sunday and was making the trek to celebrate her seventh wedding anniversary, underscored that point.

"It's just money and it's a show," Lew said. "It's not worth getting all upset."

Lew said delays won't stop her from traveling with Mesa Air Group.

"We know it's November," she said. "Fog is always an issue. I'm sure we'll try again."

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