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After weighing their options and tallying public survey responses, the Hall County Airport Authority unanimously voted Friday to bring Hawaii Island Air to Grand Island.
The vote took place during the board's annual daylong retreat, this year held at Home Federal Bank on Stolley Park Road.
Island Air and Great Lakes Airlines have sent bids to the U.S. Department of Transportation to take over Grand Island's Essential Air Service. Both carriers are offering flights to Kansas City International Airport, with Island Air offering two flights per day on a 37-seat aircraft and Great Lakes offering three flights per day on a 19-seat plane.
The city's current commercial carrier, Mesa Airlines, filed a notice of termination with the DOT earlier this year and has since raised its airfares for flights to and from Kansas City, Mo. Passenger boarding numbers at the Central Nebraska Regional Airport have subsequently seen a sharp decline.
Island Air offered Grand Island seven flight schedule options, each packaged with other cities looking for new Essential Air Service carriers. Since Island Air is new to the Essential Air Service business, it must receive contracts for service to at least two communities to be financially viable.
In its resolution, the board stated its first choice would be Island Air's first bid option, which would provide flights from Grand Island to Kansas City International at 5:40 a.m. Mondays through Saturdays and at 3:35 p.m. Sundays through Fridays. For that option, Island Air would receive a $1,639,076 subsidy. The board's second choice is a schedule with Island Air as close to option No. 1 as possible.
Public opinion played a large role in the board's decision, said Mike Olson, airport executive director. Of the 84 people who completed surveys about air service, 51 said they preferred Island Air's proposal.
The board was also concerned about Great Lakes' ability to find enough aircraft to start air service in Grand Island promptly.
Great Lakes recently took over Essential Air Service for Big Sky Airlines, which went out of business, and the 19-seat aircraft it uses are in short supply, Olson said.
When asked if they would have enough aircraft available to begin service within 90 days of being awarded the Grand Island Essential Air Service contract, Great Lakes couldn't answer in the affirmative, Olson said. The Department of Transportation may encourage Great Lakes to take care of its other Essential Air Service airports first, he said, which could pose problems for the Central Nebraska Regional Airport.
Mesa Airlines will not provide commercial service after October, and airport board members want to start service with an airline that offers better service and cheaper fares as soon as possible, said Curtis Griess, chairman of the airport board.
"We can't wait that long to build back up our boardings," Griess said.
Island Air representatives have said they wouldn't have trouble finding enough of their 37-seat aircraft to begin service in Grand Island as soon as 90 days after being awarded the contract.
Now, the airport board's resolution will be sent to the mayor and Grand Island City Council, which must approve the choice before it is forwarded on to the Department of Transportation.
The department, which may or may not honor Grand Island's request, is expected to award the contract by mid-May.
"It's a relief," Olson said of Friday's decision. "Now we can move forward and get the process going."
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