Glitches Delay Launch Day at Morgantown Airport

Third time's a charm -- maybe.

After two missed launch dates, Continental Connection by RegionsAir has set July 1 as the day a full schedule of flights will depart Morgantown Municipal Airport.

The full schedule, expected to include three daily flights to Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, originally was set for June 1. But that date was pushed back to June 17 when it became evident to RegionsAir that the full complement of three, 34-seat Saab 340 aircraft would not be ready for use.

"That July 1 date was given to me by Tom McFadden, RegionsAir senior director of airline services," said Bob Hammel, Morgantown Municipal Airport director.

Hammel, and Dan Boroff, Morgantown city manager, made a trip to Cleveland on Monday to speak with RegionsAir and Continental representatives.

Boroff announced that meeting June 6 during a time when an onagain off-again interim schedule left some travelers at the airport, staring at an empty tarmac.

After the trip, Boroff was asked if the meeting was intended to straighten out delays.

"I think you'll be hearing from RegionsAir in the near future," he said.

"I think it was more of a status report about how everything fits together -- the marketing, scheduling, fares and special benefits," he said. "There are also terminal issues about de-icing, space -- a lot of details."

Doug Caldwell, RegionsAir chief executive officer, attributed the delays to mechanical problems experienced during training runs.

Meanwhile, Hammel said the interim schedule has produced some "no shows," but that "Continental has concurred that the full schedule will begin July 1."

Hammel said the interim schedule remains in place, with two daily flights to Cleveland Monday through Friday, one flight Saturday and two departures Sunday.

Flights can be booked through local travel agents, Continental Airlines and assorted online booking services.

'A better product'

The new service replaces Air Midwest/US Airways Express, which had provided flights from Morgantown to Pittsburgh.

Meanwhile, a two-phase marketing plan to promote the new air service also is waiting in the wings. The campaign was set to start in May.

"The plan right now is probably to launch the program on July 3," said Tom Crooks, president of Marietta, Ohio's Stonewall Marketing Group. "Continental has said, 'We don't want to market this until all the planes are up and running.' If that doesn't happen, the marketing campaign will be pushed back. You don't want to market something you don't have."

Once the full schedule kicks off, the company will use television, radio, newspapers and direct mail to inform people that "we'll have more planes, more comfortable planes and more connections," Crooks said.

The second marketing phase will focus on the fact that travelers can fly from Morgantown to business and leisure destinations "for X number of dollars," Crooks added.

"Ultimately, we want to convince people that they have a better product than they've ever had," he said.

The Cleveland airport has 12 major carriers and is one of Continental's three major hubs. The other two are Newark and Houston.

The Continental "connection" also involves airports in Parkersburg and Clarksburg. One connection includes runs from Cleveland to Clarksburg, with Morgantown being the stop in between. Parkersburg has a separate agreement and flight schedule with RegionsAir/Continental.

The new, federally subsidized air service came through the Department of Transportation's Essential Air Service program.

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