Council endorses airport proposal
Published June 8, 2006
If you drive to Kansas City to catch flights home, you might soon be able to fly there from Columbia instead.
The Columbia City Council voted Monday night to endorse a plan by Mesa Airlines to offer air service consisting of two daily round-trip flights from Columbia Regional Airport to St. Louis and Kansas City. But the decision did not come without some dissent from council members and local residents.
"Mesa would arrive in St. Louis in Terminal A, which is hard to connect to American Airlines in Terminals B and C," said Tom Payne, a Columbia resident, of the potential problems with choosing Mesa. "You have to leave security and go back through in order to do that."
Payne said selecting RegionsAir would allow more people flying out of St. Louis for business trips to reach their destinations.
City Manager Bill Watkins told the council three proposals had been submitted for essential air service to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mesa Airlines submitted two proposals.
The first plan would consist of four daily round-trip flights to Kansas City and the second plan for two daily round-trip flights to both Kansas City and St. Louis. RegionsAir submitted one proposal consisting of for four daily round-trip flights to St. Louis.
The need for essential air service comes after TransStates Airlines announced in February it was discontinuing service at Columbia Regional Airport. The airline has continued to provide service under the federal guidelines that require it to do so until the transportation department selects a carrier.
The council has until June 9 to submit a letter with its endorsement, but the ultimate decision about which carrier will provide service rests with the transportation department.
Greg Cecil, a member of the Airport Advisory Board, said the proposal for essential air service was disheartening because it meant the airport had failed.
He argued in favor of the split-destination plan, saying it offered travelers from Columbia more flexibility.
"Mesa has interline agreements with other airlines, so your bags can connect more easily," he said. "This will offer more opportunities for people who do business in Kansas City and St. Louis day flights."
Second Ward Councilman Chris Janku voted against endorsing the Mesa plan.
"The obvious benefit of two destinations is clear, but we can't deny the beneficial connections that are better at St. Louis," Janku said. "With only 38 seats a day to St. Louis, people would find more frequently that flights had sold out. There may be a gain to Kansas City, but it's a major step backwards to St. Louis."
Fourth ward councilman Jim Loveless, who was acting as mayor in the absence of Mayor Darwin Hindman, said he had received several phone calls supporting the Mesa plan.
"The problem with the St. Louis-only plan is that we already had one airline fail with it," Loveless said. "The feds will pick the lowest cost subsidy despite what we say here. Let's give two destinations a shot."