"Modesto wants its airport marketing money back"

Wednesday, August 20, 2003

Modesto wants its money back 
By J.N. SBRANTI
The Modesto (CA) Bee


To help lure America West Airlines to Stockton's airport three years ago,
Modesto paid the company $25,000 in advance for city air travel.

America West now plans to abandon its Stockton routes, and Modesto wants its
money back -- what's left of it.

Modesto has used about $18,000 worth of America West tickets, and the city
has asked for the remaining $7,000 back in cash, said Mark Averell, city
purchasing supervisor.

"I feel confident they're going to refund us," said Averell, noting that the
airline verbally assured him of that Monday.

Modesto set up the so-called $25,000 barter account in August 2000.

Averell said city officials were encouraged to book flights on America West
out of Stockton, but that did not always happen.

"A lot of times those flights were a little higher priced (than Southwest or
Jet Blue airline flights out of Oakland or Sacramento)," Averell said.

That is why many city flights continued to be booked on other airlines.

The original agreement with America West required Modesto to use its account
credit by November 2003, but the airline's exodus from Stockton changes
that.

"It gives us an out of the contract," Averell said. The agreement assured
that the airline would have at least two departures a day from Stockton.

The airline cut back to one flight a day about two months ago, and has
announced that it will eliminate all Stockton fights after Sept. 2.

Averell said America West now is calculating exactly how much the city is
owed.


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