Small airports brace for decision on Skywest charter plan
Devils Lake Regional Airport is partway through a $14.8m terminal renovation that will double its size and add a boarding bridge to protect travelers from the harsh North Dakota winter. A forthcoming decision by federal regulators may determine just how many passengers ever set foot in it. SkyWest Airlines is the only carrier that currently flies to Devils Lake, and its ambitious plan to keep and expand service in small US cities requires US Transportation Department approval. The carrier plans to create a subsidiary — SkyWest Charter — to operate flights under less stringent charter regulatory standards than its parent company. It will use regional jets reconfigured with 30 seats instead of 50 and will operate flights on a public timetable open for anyone to book. The strategy is an indirect way for the nation’s largest regional airline to deal with a crippling pandemic-induced labor shortage: When flights are classified as charters, federal rules allow carriers to use older or less experienced pilots who would not be eligible for hiring on large jets. SkyWest’s move has also become a major flash point in the industry, attracting fierce opposition from the Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and other aviation labor groups that claim the plan takes advantage of a loophole in federal regulations and the flights will be unsafe and pose a security risk. The Transportation Department declined to comment on its lack of action to date on SkyWest’s request, but it recently signaled in an online posting that it is considering “revisions” to the federal regulations governing certain types of charter operations. Its decision could have far-reaching impact on other carriers, including the rapidly growing JetSuite Inc., a Dallas-based charter carrier that operates as JSX. And it will shape the futures of small airports that aim to welcome these flights, not to mention the businesses and regional economic authorities that consider transit accessibility in their plans for investment and development. <br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2023-08-25/unaligned/small-airports-brace-for-decision-on-skywest-charter-plan
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Small airports brace for decision on Skywest charter plan
Devils Lake Regional Airport is partway through a $14.8m terminal renovation that will double its size and add a boarding bridge to protect travelers from the harsh North Dakota winter. A forthcoming decision by federal regulators may determine just how many passengers ever set foot in it. SkyWest Airlines is the only carrier that currently flies to Devils Lake, and its ambitious plan to keep and expand service in small US cities requires US Transportation Department approval. The carrier plans to create a subsidiary — SkyWest Charter — to operate flights under less stringent charter regulatory standards than its parent company. It will use regional jets reconfigured with 30 seats instead of 50 and will operate flights on a public timetable open for anyone to book. The strategy is an indirect way for the nation’s largest regional airline to deal with a crippling pandemic-induced labor shortage: When flights are classified as charters, federal rules allow carriers to use older or less experienced pilots who would not be eligible for hiring on large jets. SkyWest’s move has also become a major flash point in the industry, attracting fierce opposition from the Air Line Pilots Association, the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA and other aviation labor groups that claim the plan takes advantage of a loophole in federal regulations and the flights will be unsafe and pose a security risk. The Transportation Department declined to comment on its lack of action to date on SkyWest’s request, but it recently signaled in an online posting that it is considering “revisions” to the federal regulations governing certain types of charter operations. Its decision could have far-reaching impact on other carriers, including the rapidly growing JetSuite Inc., a Dallas-based charter carrier that operates as JSX. And it will shape the futures of small airports that aim to welcome these flights, not to mention the businesses and regional economic authorities that consider transit accessibility in their plans for investment and development. <br/>
