Jets Could Be Returning to Muskegon County Airport

Jets Could Be Returning to County Airport 
MLive.com, MI

Monday, December 08, 2003 


When Northwest Airlines officials consider Muskegon County, they supposedly see 
more than immediate profits guaranteed by the federal government. 

They see a market full of airline passengers who could support local jet 
service for years to come, according to Marty Piette, manager of the Muskegon 
County Airport. 

That's why airline officials are preparing a tentative agreement that would 
provide daily round-trip jet service between Muskegon and Detroit as early as 
April or May, according to Piette. County officials expect to see the airline's 
proposal by the end of the month, he said. 

Airline officials have also mentioned the possibility of adding a second daily 
jet flight if ticket sales are brisk, according to Piette, who traveled to 
Minneapolis recently with several other local officials to discuss possible jet 
service with Northwest Airlines officials. 

The jet service would be the first in Muskegon since the 1980s. The two 
airlines currently operating at the airport offer flights only on turbo-prop 
planes. 

"We asked for the second jet (flight) right off the bat, knowing that probably 
wasn't going to happen, and they didn't laugh at us or throw us out of the 
room," said Piette. "We thought that was a good sign. 

"I'm optimistic. I think (jet service) will happen. I can't guarantee it, but 
it certainly looks good." 

Piette's claims were partially confirmed by a spokeswoman for Northwest 
Airlines. 

Mary Stanik, the airline's manager of media relations, said Northwest is 
considering a single daily jet flight between Detroit and Muskegon, and 
expected to have a decision in January. 

She would not confirm that airline officials are currently preparing a proposal 
for Muskegon County officials. 

Northwest officials probably wouldn't consider bringing jet service to Muskegon 
without a financial incentive. In this case, the bait has been provided by the 
federal government, which recently awarded the county a $500,000 grant to help 
lure jets to town. 

The grant will actually total $600,000, because the state and county are each 
adding $50,000. 

The grant money will be used in a number of ways, including advertising for the 
new jet service, and guaranteeing the airline a certain amount of revenue for 
its trouble. 

If the program gets off the ground, county officials expect Northwest to use 
Bombardier CRJ-100 50-seat jets, which are gaining popularity for regional 
flights throughout the nation, according to Piette. That type of jet will cut 
the time of a flight from Muskegon to Detroit from about 80 minutes to 50 
minutes, he said. 

Northwest Airlines currently has three flights per day between Muskegon and 
Detroit, with departures at 6:40 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. County officials 
would like the airline to send a jet to town every night for the 10 p.m. 
arrival, Piette said, and keep it here overnight for the 6:40 a.m. departure. 

Airline officials said it's more cost-effective to offer midday jet flights, 
but did not rule out the county's idea, Piette said. 

County officials are hoping jet service will reinvigorate passenger activity at 
the airport, which has been sputtering in recent years. 

A recent survey determined that only 25 percent of regular airline passengers 
in the airport's marketing area use the Muskegon facility. It also revealed 
that many people prefer the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand 
Rapids, which flies virtually all jets. 

Muskegon County officials knew the grant money would not necessarily lure jet 
service to town. Thirty-four other airports throughout the nation received 
similar grants, and Northwest has refused to consider several of them for jet 
service, Piette said. 

So why are they interested in Muskegon? The Northwest spokeswoman did not have 
that information available, but Piette thinks he knows why. 

It's probably because the area has so many passengers that are flying but 
aren't using the county airport, Piette said. Airline officials probably think 
jet service will lure many of them back, he said. 

Airline officials also took note of the "Fly Muskegon" campaign being conducted 
by the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce, Piette said. So far, more than 100 
local companies have pledged to use the county airport for business flights 
whenever possible, he said. 

"(Airline officials) know we have the customer base here to support this," 
Piette said. "That's why they're working on a proposal." 




 Do you have an opinion about this story?
Share it with other readers in our CAA Discussion Forums

http://www.californiaaviation.org/dc/dcboard.php

*****************************************