My Take: Expanded airline service vital to Up North
Recent schedule changes to airline service at airports in Northern and Upper Michigan hopefully got the attention of local governments.
For too long, airports in Alpena, Escanaba, Pellston, Sault Ste. Marie and elsewhere have relied upon federal subsidies — aka taxpayer money — through a program called the Essential Air Service.
While those subsidies made sense once upon a time, one can argue that the program has become more of a hinderance than an asset.
That’s because instead of actively competing for more airlines, more flights, more seats and bigger planes at a time when Up North is experiencing record or near-record tourism, airports and the counties that more often than not own and operate them seem complacent. Taxpayer money from Uncle Sam also has the effect of creating a monopoly for the airline chosen by the feds to operate the subsidy-receiving route or routes.
SkyWest Airlines, which operates flights under the Delta Connection brand for Delta Air Lines, greatly reduced the flight schedule and routes with little to no notice and zero community input.
Against vocal opposition from myself — I fly around 150,000 or more miles per year with virtually every trip originally from an airport in Northern or Upper Michigan — and state Rep. John Damoose, the changes went from a long-term reality to being in effect only for a few weeks’ time. Had they not been rolled back, the impact would have been devastating.
Everyone — tourists, seniors needing medical care, snowbirds, families, workers, businesses — would have been negatively impacted if the schedule changes weren’t undone. Moreover, nobody in their right mind wants to fly Pellston to Escanaba to Minneapolis to insert final destination here or somewhere to Minneapolis to Sault Ste. Marie to Alpena to Detroit.
Adding insult to injury is the fact that even the slightest drop in passengers would only further hurt airports since federal funding is mostly based on a formula that utilizes passenger volume, which the industry calls enplanements. At stake are millions of dollars.
Instead of wholly or partially relying on, Northern and Upper Michigan’s airports need to make expanded service a priority.
A prime example is Pellston Regional Airport, which is only subsidized outside peak tourism season.
While Pellston may be an Emmet County airport, it is actually a regional airport for the places that make up the core of Up North’s four-season tourism industry.
The idea that the primary airport serving Boyne City and Boyne Falls, Charlevoix, Harbor Springs, Mackinaw City, Mackinac Island, Petoskey and Mullett and Burt lakes cannot attract more airlines, more flights, more seats and bigger planes is patently absurd. To the extent that passenger numbers at Pellston are down it’s only because there have been less flights and higher airfares. Customers like me have had to drive to Alpena to find seat availability or affordable flights.
Unfortunately, the airport is only accountable to the Emmet County Board of Commissioners, which in turn is only accountable to the voters of Emmet County. Even the best and most frequent customers of the airport have no say in its affairs.
Just as Traverse City’s Cherry Capital Airport transitioned to an airport authority under Leelanau and Grand Traverse counties, so should Pellston.
Emmet County commissioners should invite neighboring counties or townships and municipalities outside the county to discuss partnering on a new and better governance model. Such a move would be critical in attracting more airlines, more flights, more seats and bigger planes.
Never again should Pellston or any other Up North airport be at the mercy of a single airline’s schedule changes.
— Dennis Lennox, of Topinabee, is a public affairs and strategic communications consultant. Follow @dennislennox on Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Petoskey News-Review: My Take: Expanded airline service vital to Up North
