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.

Bob says, "Is there a reason why US Air does not fly into SGF? And I also read that 16 planes park here overnight and thats a problem because we dont have 16 gates. So why is the new terminal only starting at 10 gates. Wouldn't it make since to start at 16? Thanks for answering."

Here's how I understand the airline's point-of-view concerning our airport...

Right now US Airways feels that SGF is 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, that 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. I'll bet you hate that answer as much as I do...

Moving on to the second question. I see exactly what you're asking, let me explain it better.

Not only are we flat out of overnight plane parking places at the current terminal, we're out of maneuvering room. The parked planes are so close together that they are wing tip to wing tip. This makes moving them in the morning a long and laborious process. One wrong move and a wing tip can crash into another and then you've got a damaged airplane. In a world free of budget restraints we'd love to have enough gates at the new terminal to accommodate every single overnight plane. But that's not the world we live in. We can afford to build 10 gates, not 16. What the new terminal will offer, in the case of overnight parking, is lots of maneuvering room. With the new found space it will be easier to jockey the planes around in the morning.

Hope that helps.