Slow start for Youngstown to Chicago flights

VIENNA

The Youngstown/Chicago Great Lakes JetExpress service needs more passengers.

Thirty-eight percent of capacity for the 49-seat Embraer ERJ-145 jet was sold for the period from last Friday through Monday.

“I would have loved to see 50 percent,” said Mickey Bowman, senior vice president and chief operating officer of Aerodynamics Inc., the company that brought the service here.

Dan Dickten, director of aviation at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport said Tuesday was the best day for ticket sales revenue since June 1 with total sales of $5,148.

“To sustain the service, ticket sales need to reach an average of $8,500 daily,” Dickten said.

Bowman attributes the slow sales to the holiday weekend and only having about a month of advanced ticket sales.

Also, the reservation system had some glitches.

“We started out with a handicap here with booking not working well,” Dickten said.

Read more about the situation and the flights in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.