Interline, new flight coming to airport in fall
Enplanements top 500 in July
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WILLIAMSTOWN -- An interline agreement between Contour Airlines and American Airlines is expected to launch at the Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport in October.
That means passengers will be able to book flights from the local airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport and American's connections beyond on a single ticket and change flights without having to recheck their bags.
"We will be the first airport to launch the interline," Kelly said Tuesday, during the regular meeting of the Wood County Airport Authority.
In November, Contour will add Wednesday flights to and from Tampa, Fla., Kelly said.
"You can buy the tickets for Wednesday flights to Tampa right now to fly in November," he said.
Like the current Saturday Tampa flights, the Wednesday trips would not be subsidized under federal Essential Air Service, as the Charlotte flights are. So their performance will determine how long the flights remain available, Kelly has said.
"We really have to push the Tampa flights early on so they will be successful," authority President Bill Richardson said.
Richardson and Kelly noted Tampa International Airport is just an hour-plus drive from Orlando and less than that from Clearwater Beach and St. Petersburg.
Airport officials hope increased options will allow the service to continue to grow.
In July, the airport recorded 504 enplanements, the first time more than 500 passengers have boarded flights leaving the airport since December 2016.
"That is the first time over 500 since the $10 deals with Via in 2016," Kelly said.
Kelly credits Contour's reliable performance with the improved passenger numbers. The company canceled one flight on July 1 because a replacement part was not immediately available. It was just the second non-weather cancellation since they began service at the airport Dec. 5.
The airport is receiving inquiries from people in West Virginia's Northern Panhandle and parts of Ohio, he said.
"We're getting a lot of calls from people who have never been to this airport," Kelly said.
In response, Kelly has extended print and billboard advertising into those areas.
Kelly has said an average of 500 enplanements is a stepping stone toward the goal of 10,000 over a full year, which would increase the annual federal Airport Improvement Program allocation from $150,000 to $1 million.
Richardson asked about the airport's parking capacity if passenger numbers continue to grow.
"Is there any danger, if this thing takes off, of us not having any place to park?" he said.
Kelly said he is seeking an estimate on repaving the parking area and expanding it to some graveled areas. There could be an opportunity to do that work when the airport is closed to airline service for three weeks next year for the $8 million runway rehabilitation project. But funding could be an issue because money is needed for other projects, he said.
The authority voted 4-0 Tuesday to approve the $299,000 engineering fee for the project, which will be covered by the federal funding for the project.
"We're hoping to get the bids back mid-August," Kelly said.
The physical work is not expected to start until the spring.
Evan Bevins can be reached at ebevins@newsandsentinel.com