Pam Am Clipper Connection moves back start date of service

The airline shows things are ready to roll from here on Nov. 10.
VIENNA -- Experiencing some turbulence in its routing plan, Pan Am Clipper Connection has again rolled back its start of service here.
Flights now will start closer to the busy holiday season in the last quarter of the year.
The airline's Web site at www.flypanam.com for a brief period this week had removed Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport from its list of destinations and route map.
Youngstown/Warren was restored to the Web site Wednesday -- but bookings are being made available for service to start Nov. 10.
This is the second delay for the airline, which announced its presence in Vienna in June.
Boston-Maine Airways, operating the Pan Am Clipper Connection, had first planned to start service Sept. 15, then moved that to mid-October -- and now, Nov. 10.
Steve Bowser, airport director, noted the third and beginning of the fourth quarters of a year, for travel, historically are very weak. Business picks up in the middle of the fourth quarter, with Thanksgiving week being the heaviest travel holiday of the year.
"It makes absolute sense," he said of a November start date. "I was happy with the Sept. 15 date, but operationally it probably makes more sense to start it at that [November] time."
Destinations already announced are Orlando/Sanford, Fla., St. Petersburg-Clearwater, Fla., Newburgh, N.Y., San Juan and Aquadilla, Puerto Rico.
Changes common
"Startup dates do change," Bowser said. "My guess is, they reviewed the logistics of their start dates. Unfortunately they had a glitch in their computer system at the same time."
Vic Rubenstein, who is working to market the local airport, said he's been told such changes are not unusual as plans are made for a new service.
A Pan Am spokesman said it's a considerable feat to put together a schedule. That, coupled with a computer programming glitch, caused Youngstown/Warren's temporary removal from the destination list. Now, he said, people can buy flights up to Jan. 7, 2006, with that schedule to be extended soon.
The spokesman agreed kicking off the flights at a time when people really want to travel "will work out better for everyone."
Pan Am is seeking U.S. Department of Transportation approval to put two more jets into service.
The airline's Web site currently shows things ready to roll on Nov. 10, with two departing flight/fare options from here to Orlando/Sanford.
Flight 219 departs at 8:45 a.m. and arrives at 10:35 a.m. with no stops for $79. Or, for $112, Flight 217/192 departs at 6:30 p.m. and arrives at 10:15 p.m. with one stop.
The return flight Nov. 12 is Flight 376/375 departing 9:40 a.m. and arriving 12:50 p.m., with one stop, for $112.