Mesa Starts at Cedar City

Mesa Airlines not afraid to start flying from airports that have little to no passengers. Check out the story below. Lets hope we are having conversations with Mesa:

http://www.cedarcityreview.com/articles.php?id=2634&art_title=Mesa_Airlines_Begins_Flights,_Finds_Success

Cedar City Regional Airport announced in January that Mesa Airlines would replace SkyWest as the air service provider to the airport, and despite community concerns, the new airline has found its place in Cedar City.Mesa Airlines officially began flying from Cedar City on May 7, and currently offer flights to Salt Lake City and Las Vegas.Gale Waite, airport advisory board chairman, was initially skeptical of a flight to Las Vegas.“SkyWest tried a flight to Las Vegas with almost no success,” he said. “However, I didn’t count on the demographic change we’ve seen over the past few years.”The Las Vegas flight is currently filling an average of 43 percent of the available seats, while the Salt Lake City flight only fills an average of 26 percent, said Jeffrey Hartz, a senior planning analyst for Mesa Airlines,.“Thus far, the Las Vegas flight has been by far the strongest flight,” Hartz said.

According to Hartz, the transition has been smooth, and passenger numbers continue to increase.“From our aspect, things are going very well,” said Hartz. “Especially considering we are coming into this community where SkyWest was well liked.”So far, responses from people using the airline have been positive.“I have not had one complaint,” said Steve Farmer, Cedar City Regional Airport manager.While there has been a few minor problems, Waite agreed the transition from SkyWest to Mesa Airlines has gone smoothly.“The people from Mesa (Airlines) have been very nice to work with,” he said.In addition to changes in fares and flight destinations, Mesa Airlines also flies a 19-passenger jet, which is smaller than the 30-passenger airplanes operated by SkyWest.However the smaller planes seem to have benefits. “This way, everyone gets a window seat and an aisle seat,” Steve Farmer, Cedar City Regional Airport manager, said.

The airport has a goal to achieve 10,000 enplanements throughout the next year. An enplanement is a paid passenger on a flight out of Cedar City. If the airport reaches that goal, it will be eligible for a $1 million grant, which can be spent according to regulations set by the Federal Aviation Administration.Waite doesn’t think the smaller planes would pose a problem in reaching the goal.“We do need to just about fill the plane every time, but I think we can do it,” he said