Wick News Service
|
|
City officials and private pilots are not surprised the service came to an end. A spokeswoman for the company did not immediately return calls Wednesday.
The non-renewal of $1.2 million Federal Air Service Subsidy Grant contract which Great Lakes provided commercial flight service from Sierra Vista Municipal Airport to Sky Harbor International was announced early last month.
Pessimism about the long-term success the commercial service emerged early in the service period.
On March 1, 2005, Great Lakes' flights began between Phoenix and Sierra Vista.
A year later, Great Lakes spokeswoman Monica Taylor said Fort Huachuca's deadline for accepting commercial contract bids for 2007 flight service had already passed - a year into the two-year subsidized contract with the city.
At that time, she gave two reasons why the airline did not submit a commercial bid for the U.S. Army contract. One was that fort officials did not list any need for flight service between Sierra Vista and Phoenix in their service plans when they went to bid. The other reason was Great Lakes was on a temporary non-use status with the U.S. Department of Defense.
At that time, the fort confirmed Great Lakes' non-use status.
City Manager Chuck Potucek said it was essentially a technical error in paperwork that took place after the service began that precluded Great Lakes from consideration by the military.
"It was certainly a long shot going into it two years ago," he said.
The future of commercial aviation in Sierra Vista will depend on the market, planning and collaboration with the military, Potucek said. Great Lakes' attempts to work out a commercial service deal with the military were attempted after the service contract was settled, but should have been established beforehand if possible, he added.
All things considered, the commercial provider probably would not have survived in this market in any case, having a need for some 600 enplanements monthly, Potucek said.
The monthly tally never got close to that amount, peaking at about 200 enplanements toward the end of the service.
The Sierra Vista Airport Commission and city transportation staff are working on how best to make use of the terminal in the absence of Great Lakes.
"I think it is unfortunate that Great Lakes Airlines did not listen to the city when we told them the only way this would go would be if they attracted the temporary duty traffic out of the post," Mayor Pro Tem Rick Mueller said.
Service aspects such as electronic tickets acquired via the Internet are a must for any contract consideration by the Department of Defense. Mueller said Great Lakes did not heed suggested service touches, such as electronic tickets, until it was too late.
In recent months, Col. Jonathan Hunter, Fort Huachuca's garrison commander, helped increase Great Lakes enplanements with a little word-of-mouth encouragement, city Transportation Superintendent Steve Tyminski said.
"Col. Hunter actually endorsed the use of Great Lakes Airlines, but it was right around the (recent) winter holiday season when there wasn't a lot of flying," he said.
The last flight left for Phoenix at 1 p.m. on Wednesday. Two passengers were on board.
The two local Great Lakes employees are now out of a job with the airline, Tyminski said.
"One of them is relocating to Gillette, Wyo., and the other is applying to a transit driver position at city Public Works Department," he said.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration personnel will relocate to Tucson.
Turner Aviation, a business that caters to general aviators, remains at the terminal.
Another Sierra Vista aviator will likely be the first commercial aviator to operate here following the departure of Great Lakes, planning to serve as a charter service in the terminal, to soak up some of the small but steady commercial demand of Sierra Vista's former Great Lakes customers, Tyminski said.
"The last several months, enplanements had risen because they did what they told them to do two years ago," Mueller said. "It was a valiant effort, it does not mean that this is the death veil (for commercial aviation in Sierra Vista). It was unsuccessful for reasons beyond the city's control."
While the future of Sierra Vista's commercial aviation is not doomed because of this failure, it likely made it more difficult, Mueller said.
Airport Commission Chairman George Pohlman said the city deserves no blame in Great Lakes leaving.
"Yes, I'm upset, that this seemed to have been their (Great Lakes') plan from the beginning because they showed very little genuine interest in developing the business here," he said. "They missed the boat originally, for the primary customer of Fort Huachuca by not endeavoring to satisfy their requirements."
He added, "I don't blame the city in any way for Great Lakes failure. That was all brought on by themselves, and I thought the city cooperated in every possible way to satisfy them and stimulate the business."
The U.S. Army-contracted commercial flights are currently boarded in Tucson, requiring the hour drive from Sierra Vista to Tucson International Airport. By all accounts, this is done because it is the least expensive way and is preferred by the Army.
"I think in the future, potential opportunities for commercial service here exist," said Councilman Craig Johnson, the Airport Commission's liaison to the council.
He envisions possibilities that commercial service exists not just between Sierra Vista and Phoenix, but between other major Southwestern U.S. destinations such as Los Angeles and Las Vegas, as well.
Potucek said rural commercial air service suffered after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, because of the increased emphasis on commercial flight security and costs associated with that.
Comments