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CEDAR CITY, Utah (AP) -- The number of the people flying in and out of the Cedar City Airport has declined since Mesa Airlines replaced SkyWest in serving the community, said airport manager Steve Farmer.
Farmer said Cedar City had averaged 30 enplanements a day, but it's at 20 to 25 now.
He told the airport board that the biggest probhlem has been people holding SkyWest tickets being transferred to St. George Municipal Airport by Delta unless customers insisted on flying out of Cedar City.
Jeff Hartz, Mesa Air Group planning analyst, said the flights to Las Vegas have had 50 percent of the seats filled, and the return flight have had 30 percent of the seats sold.
'The Las Vegas flight is really excelling; it's a big seller," Farmer said.
Gale Waite, chairman of the airport board, said he had been skeptical about the Las Vegas flights at first because SkyWest had tried that previously.
"So I think the demographics that have changed here have made a difference," he said.
The Salt Lake City flights have not been as strong, but Mesa just introduced a new $99 round-trip fare.
"We're just trying to get more customers on those flights," Hartz said. "Overall, we're very pleased right now. Personally, I think we can (have) a lot more passengers and I hope we do."
The airport must get 10,000 enplanements a year to maintain its primary entitlement status.
"By being a primary entitlement, I get a million dollars for sure," Farmer said.
If the airport doesn't reach that number, it is still eligible for federal funds, but the money will be at the federal government's discretion.
Farmer is hopeful things will pick up after customers finish using their Delta tickets in St. George.
Mesa has been serving Cedar City since May 7.
The federal government picked it to provide the federally subsidized air service when Mesa offered to serve the community for a subsidy of $897,535 per year, while SkyWest, which had served the community for 34 years, had asked for $1,602,912 a year.
The Beechcraft 1900D turboprop airplanes used by Mesa seat 19 passengers. They do not have lavatories, overhead storage bins or flight attendants.
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
