Where Is Service to Kansas City?
Carlyle wants to know about the lack of air service between here and Kansas City:
Do we know why there is no longer air service to Kansas City from Springfield? I usually fly out of Springfield, but I recently discovered that Joplin offers flights going East (Washington & Boston) that are consistently $200 cheaper than from Springfield. Of course, these flights connect to Midwest Airlines in Kansas City from Joplin via US Airways Express, a service we USED to have from Springfield. Do we know if there's any plan to remedy this problem in the future? Being undercut by the Joplin airport doesn't reflect very well on the Springfield airport or its plans for expansion, and having direct access to the Kansas City Airport with all its low cost carriers and competition would go a long way to keep our fares competitive.
US Air Express used to fly between here and Kansas City with 19-seat propeller driven airplanes. Over time passenger numbers dwindled and the airline finally pulled the service in the late 1990's. Bottm line: the airline pulled the service because of low ridership. Due to changes that have occurred in the industry since then (like St. Louis no longer being a TWA hub), we suspect the service would do better today. Unfortunately, it's not likely to happen anytime soon.
As we understand it, US Airways feels that we are not a good fit for its network (I should explain the jargon "network." In the context of an airline, network refers to the different routes the airline flies and how those routes connect to one another via the airline's hub airports).
There are several airports, two to ten times our size, which the airline doesn't service to the east or at all. And there are several smaller airports that the airline doesn't serve that would fit better into its eastern route network. And recently the airline's fleet growth has been relatively flat. In short, the airline is cautious about expansion, and when it does it expand, it has bigger fish to fry that fit better into its network. This cautious approach is being taken by all airlines right now as the economy gets worse and fuel prices rise.
As for the service in Joplin...
Joplin has Essential Air Service (EAS). EAS is a federal subsidy program that pays airlines to serve very small markets. In this case, Mesa Airlines provides service between Joplin and Kansas City, using code shares with US Air Express and Midwest Airlines. Subsidized routes often have lower fares than non-subsidized routes. We are WAY to big to qualify for EAS service.
Kent
in US Airways, Essential Air Service (EAS)
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