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YNG-Chicago flights launch today
By Kalea Hall
VIENNA
When the wheels on Aerodynamic’s Embraer ERJ-145 come off the runway at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport this morning, it will be a big moment.
But that moment will only signify even more moments – and more hard work – to come.
The airport finally will have the daily scheduled service back it lost 14 years ago.
The service happens to come back on the 75th anniversary of the airport’s dedication ceremony.
More than 30 passengers – including this reporter – will be aboard the historic first flight that departs at 8:55 a.m. for Chicago O’Hare International Airport.
“It feels rewarding and a little terrifying,” said Mickey Bowman, chief operating officer for Aerodynamics or ADI.
The rewarding feeling comes after the more than two years of work it took for ADI to get to this point. The terrified feeling comes from knowing this is when the real work begins.
“It’s exciting,” said Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the airport. “Now is when the work begins. If we can’t get people to use it, then it will not sustain itself.”
GOAL: EXPANSION
When Dickten became director of aviation at the airport in 2010, there was a list of goals the Western Reserve Port Authority board, which oversees the airport, wanted to be accomplished. Two top goals were to bring back daily scheduled service to the airport and to expand Allegiant Air’s services.
Allegiant started with flights to Orlando, Fla. In 2011, flights to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and St. Petersburg, Fla., were added.
In 2013, the local airport received its fourth Allegiant flight, to Fort Myers, Fla.
From 2010 to 2014, Youngstown was the fastest-growing Allegiant community.
In 2010, the airport saw 52,526 passengers. By 2015, that total grew to 133,927 passengers.
The consistent passenger growth caught the eye of other airlines, as did the airport’s $1.2 million revenue guarantee.
“No one was coming in without having a revenue guarantee,” Dickten said.
The WRPA first reviewed a United Airlines proposal to bring scheduled daily service to the airport. But United also had a daily service startup in Topeka, Kan., which didn’t meet expectations.
“They didn’t want to have two failed startups at the same time,” Dickten said.
United backed out while ADI remained interested.
“They wanted to get into scheduled airline service,” Dickten said. “They felt like we would be a good place to start.”
TIME FOR CHANGE
After more than 50 years in the charter business, ADI’s leaders saw an opportunity to expand into commercial air service.
“It comes down to diversification,” Bowman said. “It’s just like when you are building a financial portfolio.”
ADI knew about the small airport in Vienna Township that was inside the large Youngstown-Warren-Boardman Metropolitan Statistical Area. The MSA had a population of 549,885 recorded in July 2015 that was “being forced onto the highway” to access daily scheduled service, Bowman explained.
In June 2014, ADI sent in its application to provide 10 flights a week between Youngstown and Chicago to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The DOT tentatively denied the application over the airline’s former leadership. The ownership and much of the leadership have since changed. After vetting the airline, the DOT tentatively approved the service in late January.
In May, the airline was given another setback after the DOT highlighted three concerns.
“We have always [remained] determined,” Bowman said of providing the service.
The DOT sent final approval for the Youngstown-Chicago service in an email sent May 20 to ADI’s leadership moving the launch date to July 1.
A $1.2 million revenue guarantee has been offered by the port authority to ADI to ensure it makes a profit during the startup phase of the service. Of the $1.2 million, $780,000 is from a federal grant and the other $420,000 is hotel-motel lodging tax money that comes into the port authority from Mahoning and Trumbull counties.
TICKET SALES
Ticket sales for the Chicago flights are selling at a good rate, but not a great rate, Bowman said.
Aerodynamics in partnership with Great Lakes Jet Express offers two round-trip flights Monday, Thursday and Friday and one round trip on the other four days of the week.
A promotional rate will be in place for July on a limited basis for the Youngstown-Chicago service. With all taxes and fees, the cost comes to $89.50 one way.
To purchase a ticket from Youngstown to Chicago, customers must use www.greatlakesav.com/ or call 1-800-554-5111.
To get a connected flight, customers must use other travel websites such as Expedia or Travelocity.
After ADI was approved for the Youngstown service, the DOT awarded the airline an additional two routes from Denver to Pierre, S.D., and Denver to Watertown, S.D.
For right now, ADI will focus on one destination for Youngstown.
“We want to be very logical about this whole thing,” Bowman said. “We want to make sure this is up and successful. We are looking to a long and successful service.”