Port, community discuss EAS response

Loss of commercial air service would be 'psychologically damaging'

MOSES LAKE — The best response to a tentative order that would terminate the area's commercial air service is political pressure.

So said Todd Jorns, associate director of legislative affairs for Regional Aviation Partners, who sat with commissioners of the Port of Moses Lake during a meeting with the community Monday afternoon. Thirteen people gathered to give their input to commissioners during the meeting, which lasted nearly two hours.

Moses Lake Mayor Ron Covey, Port manager Craig Baldwin and others received a letter last week informing them of the U.S. Department of Transportation's tentative termination of the federally subsidized Essential Air Service program and allows Big Sky Transportation Company, Inc., doing business as EAS carrier Big Sky Airlines to suspend service as of Aug. 1.

To qualify for the subsidy, enough passengers must use the area air service within a one-year period so that the cost per passenger is less than $200. Department of Transportation data shows that for the year ending Feb. 28, the cost per passenger locally was $213.

The community was given 20 days to appeal the decision, which the department arrived at by citing concerns over declining passenger numbers and rising subsidy rates.

Members of the community pointed to the carrier and port district's April 2005 decision to switch to flights to Boise, Idaho and Portland, Ore., instead of to Seattle, as a reason for declining ridership. Flight cancellations, delays and less-intensified marketing in more recent months were also seen as factors, as was the difficulty of ordering tickets online.

Grant County Economic Development Council executive director Terry Brewer replied to a question by board president Delone Kruger that the loss of air service would be "psychologically damaging" to the community at large and to outside companies looking at the area as a possible site for economic growth, many of which would not get past a cursory glance at the area, Brewer cautioned.

Baldwin asked Jorns what kind of response should be prepared by the community to meet the June 30 deadline, at which point Jorns responded with his political pressure comment.

Jorns noted that Sens. Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, both D-Wash., are in good positions to make an impression on the Department of Transportation that the decision needs to be addressed, or the $200 per passenger subsidy cap needs to be adjusted.

The spot that Moses Lake is in can affect some changes locally and on a national level, Jorns explained, noting that some other communities face the same situation, hence the push to adjust the cap.

"In the past, the DOT has led us to believe that once you're eliminated, you're gone, but there have been success stories that we've had working with communities that have received the same notice," he said after the meeting, noting those orders were later overturned or reversed. "Even if the DOT is to tentatively eliminate air service at Moses Lake, there are still potential efforts in the future to revive air service here. It's definitely difficult, once air service is eliminated, but it is 'tentatively,' not permanently, eliminated."

Jorns recommended a delegation be put together to go to Washington, D.C. with Cantwell and Murray and meet with the department. He also urged the community to support local air service and to work with the carrier toward addressing some of the issues mentioned during the meeting.

Darci Counsell uses the commercial air service out of Grant County International Airport primarily for business, and also for personal purposes.

"I think a lot of good ideas were generated here at the meeting," Counsell said, pointing at Jorns' involvement as essentially an outside consultant. "We came up with good ideas as far as how to move forward, who to influence regarding trying to retain this essential service here in the Basin, so I think it created maybe a plan, or how to influence the change to keep it here."

GCEDC president Brian Meiners felt the meeting was effective.

"Right people in the room to give comments and I think that the outcome will be some pretty specific actions the community can take for the long term, to promote the air service, and also for the short term, to get to the decision makers to help us keep Essential Air Service," Meiners said.

Port commissioner Kent Jones said he would be meeting with industrial leaders to gauge the necessity of air service for their business Tuesday morning, and would take that information into consideration as the community prepares its response to the order.

Baldwin said he would work with the mayor and Jorns on a response back to DOT. The port will discuss Jorns' recommendation of forming a delegation.