Group nears goal for air service

MOSES LAKE — Thirty-eight companies pledged $286,000 for prepaid airline tickets as part of an effort to bring SkyWest Airlines to Grant County, according to the Grant County Economic Development Council (EDC).

The goal is to gather $500,000 in pledges from 100 participating businesses, to arrange for  two daily flights from Moses Lake to Seattle starting June 1.

Commercial air service at the Grant County International Airport stopped roughly two years ago.

Now the EDC has more than 100 businesses to follow up with to gather more pledges, explained Jon Smith, the council’s communications and research manager, on Friday.

Jan. 30 is the deadline for pledges and the minimum pledge amount is $2,500 per business.

The money will be placed in an airline travel bank and pledging businesses will receive a credit card to purchase their tickets for flights from Moses Lake or SkyWest partners United Airlines or members of the Star Alliance, which offers international flights.

There’s been a series of informational meetings for the community over the past two weeks.

Smith said air service details were given to interested people, who can bring the details back to their companies for future decisions.

The meetings started on Jan. 6, he noted.

“We’ve only been at it for two weeks,” Smith said. “We’re only a third of the way with the participating companies and half way there with the money. The community has really shown they do support air service.”

Businesses such as industrial, small businesses, nonprofits, law firms, banks, agricultural companies, farms, agriculture supply stores, employment offices, manufacturing companies, realtors, doctor’s offices and electricians have pledged money, he said.

“We’ve even had pledges from people outside of Moses Lake,” Smith explained.

The out-of-town people he mentioned do business in town, with some as far as way as California, he added.

“It’s really diverse,” he said. “It’s not just industrial. It’s not just processing. It’s all sectors in the community.”

Air service is important to the area because it’s part of the economic foundation of the community, said project consultant Mike Boggs earlier this month.

“A lot of business doesn’t take place if you don’t have air service,” Boggs said.

From Moses Lake, the nearest commercial service is East Wenatchee, about 68 miles away, then Spokane, about 100 miles away.

For more information about pledging money for the airline travel bank, companies can call 509-764-6579.