Air service discussions reveal split among airports

North country airport officials say a one-size-fits-all approach to providing air transportation to Massena, Ogdensburg and Watertown may not be the best way to meet the needs of three very different communities now served by one federally subsidized Essential Air Service contract.

So as regional and federal officials begin discussions about awarding next year's EAS contract that pays for flights to the region's three major airports, at least some local leaders are hoping for an opportunity to re-evaluate the way the contract is structured and how it could better serve each site.

Massena-area officials were thrilled to hear Cape Air, the Hyannis, Mass.-based airline, is interested in sticking around, especially after the town-owned airport struggled for several months to get a reliable air carrier to agree to come to the region.

"We're very pleased with the first year of service from Cape Air," Air Task Force Chairman Daniel S. Pease said. "They have done everything they told us they would do and more. For the first time in a long time, the north country is getting what they expected out of an airline."

Town Supervisor W. Gary Edwards said his office has received very few complaints about the airline, a welcome contrast to Cape Air's predecessor, Big Sky, which flew a larger 19-passenger plane to and from Boston and had gained a poor reputation in St. Lawrence County in the months leading up to its abrupt December 2007 departure.

The region went without air service for nearly a year after Big Sky opted to stop serving New York routes, an experience Mr. Pease notes was very challenging for local businesses and economic development groups like the Business Development Corp., where he serves as board chairman.

Cape Air spokeswoman Michelle Haynes said the company is very happy with its experience in the north country and noted it has been pleasantly surprised by the growing number of people booking flights with it, especially in Massena, where she said more than 5,000 passengers have used the service since it was introduced in September 2008.

"We've had a great time up there," she said. "The numbers continue to go up. We've shown a steady increase since we opened in Massena and we intend to do a lot more."

But as bright as things may be looking in Massena, airport managers in Watertown were less enthusiastic about the idea of sticking with Cape Air's nine-passenger flights to Albany, suggesting the arrangement might be a better fit for some communities than for others.

Watertown Airport Manager James L. Lawrence Jr. and Jefferson County Administrator Robert F. Hagemann III both said things are going smoothly with Cape Air.

But the number of passengers using Cape Air flights, a figure called the airport's enplanements, has been a fraction of what Watertown officials saw with Big Sky, which has been a cause for concern with officials who were hoping to see departures top 10,000 per year.

"We were experiencing about 8,000 enplanements a year when Big Sky was there and we were expecting that to continue to increase," Mr. Lawrence said. "With Cape Air, that figure has been less than half."

So when Jefferson County leaders heard Cape Air was interested in picking up the contract for another two to four years, they were less inclined to celebrate than their neighbors to the north.

"It's not that it's not working here; it's just that we want things to work better," Mr. Hagemann said. "Cape Air has been a good group to work with. The problem isn't that they don't provide good service — they do — it's that they fly nine-passenger planes."

While Big Sky was unpopular in St. Lawrence County, Mr. Hagemann said Jefferson County's relationship with the airline was very positive. In 2007, the county reported that Big Sky Airlines had booked about 7,467 passengers, compared with 2006, when USAirways provided flights to Pittsburgh that generated 3,828 enplanements.

The company's larger 19-seat planes and Boston destination had a greater appeal to Watertown residents, who do not consider Albany as attractive a destination when airports in Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo are equally accessible, according to the county administrator.

"Now Massena seems to be doing very well, and that's great. There's a very important service Cape Air is providing them there. But we've made no secrets about the fact that we want to see our enplanements continue to increase. With a nine-seat plane, I just don't know that they'll be able to meet that demand," Mr. Hagemann said.

Officials said the Massena/Ogdensburg/Watertown contract is not due to expire until September 2010 and conversations with the Federal Aviation Administration about the agreement are expected to take place in late spring or early summer.

Locally, officials suggested the North Country Air Alliance, a partnership between all five Northern New York airports, may begin discussing the issue sooner.