Air service to end in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Passenger flights from the Grant County International Airport are scheduled to end June 9 because enough people aren’t using the service.

SkyWest Airlines and the Port of Moses Lake agreed to end United Express’s air service from Moses Lake to Seattle, stated Craig Baldwin, the port’s executive manager and Jon Smith, managing director of the Grant County Economic Development Council, on Monday.

The contract ends in June and it’s not going to be renewed.

Flights are averaging less than five people per flight, or 17 percent occupancy.

“The plane they have is flying all day long,” Baldwin said. “To try and fit it into a schedule and make all their other schedules work was a challenge.”

The port is currently working with another agency to provide air service, Baldwin said.

A new agreement hasn’t been finalized, but talks with the other airline also entail offering trips to Seattle.

“They would hope to be on target for June, so we don’t have a gap in air service,” he said.

An improvement would allow a business traveler to leave Moses Lake in the morning for Seattle and return the same day. The same would go for a Seattle traveler leaving for Moses Lake.

“We are very excited about this new opportunity,” Baldwin stated. “It would allow business travelers to make a day trip in both directions which is something that we have not had available here before. It doesn’t matter if you are in Seattle or if you are in Moses Lake, you can leave in the morning for business, and be back home that same evening.”

Providing air service is a priority for port commissioners, Baldwin said.

Local travelers who prepaid for airline service through SkyWest Airlines and have dollars left to spend should book tickets for flights between now and June 8, said Smith.

“Those who already booked tickets beyond the June 8 deadline will be able to work directly with United to either have the money for the flight refunded or to have flights arranged from other airports,” he stated.