By Mary Alice Murphy
Thursday morning, the three county commissioners, who did not make any decisions, County Manager Charlene Webb and mayors of Bayard and Hurley, Charles Kelly and Edward Encinas, facilitated by Priscilla Lucero, Southwest New Mexico Council of Government executive director, heard three essential air service presentations by telephone. A fourth applicant could not be on the call, but a packet of its proposal was presented to attendees.
The first person heard from was Shawn Simpson, Boutique Air's chief executive officer. He gave a brief history of the company, which is based in California and has been doing air charter service since 2007, as well as fire surveillance missions. "We already do flights between Las Vegas, Nevada, and Los Angeles, Calif. Our latest flight service is between Clovis and Dallas, Texas."
He said the pressurized eight-or-nine person Pilatus PC-12 aircraft has reclining seats, an enclosed lavatory, power outlets and modern avionics. The flight out of Clovis uses the 8-seat configuration.
"The Pilatus PC-12 has the most reliable engine in the world," Simpson said. "Yes, it is a single-engine aircraft. Once, it was standard to have two engines, but since these engines last forever, one is plenty. It is a turbo-prop."
He said the airline allows 40 pounds of baggage a person at no charge. There is also no extra charge for a change fee, unless it's for a different fare; nor any extra charge for an unaccompanied minor; nor for a pet. For those with more than 40 pounds of luggage the additional pieces of baggage can go on a prior or later flight, again with no extra charge. "It's space available on the flight and may accompany you. In EAS communities, typically the planes are not full. From Clovis we have three flights a day. Depending on the number of frequencies, we don't anticipate baggage problems."
Distribution where passengers can purchase tickets include Sabre and Amadeus, among others, as well as most of the traditional and online ticket purveyors, such as Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, and others.
"Our proposal is for four round trip flights per weekday between Silver City and Albuquerque," Simpson said. "The fare range would be between $70 and $199 per round trip. There are no hidden fees. We provide reliable service. We have no pilot shortages, and we pay above average. The Department of Transportation may want to reduce the frequencies. Great Lakes had had a ton of problems with pilots. We recognize that is because of changes in laws, but we also recognize we have to pay more to have good pilots. We are in line with what is happening in the industry."
To a question, he said two pilots would fly in each plane.
Commission Chairman Brett Kasten asked about the fare range, to which Simpson replied that it has flexibility. "The first couple of seats sold are the least expensive. As the plane fills up, the fare could go to $120-$130 per round trip. If the plane is getting quite full, the passenger might pay more. There is no time constraint on having to purchase tickets ahead of time. If there's a seat that day, you will get the cheapest seat available."
Kasten asked about the opportunity to purchase coupons in advance for expected future travel, with no specific date. "During the legislative session, we might need more tickets." Simpson said it is possible to purchase such coupons in advance.
Commissioner Gabriel Ramos pointed out that the fare in the proposal was from $59 up.
"That's about right," Simpson replied. "We have modeled at a $79.25 average fare."
To a question from Commissioner Ron Hall, Simpson replied that at the airline's option, it could fly twice daily to Phoenix, "but we are not inclined to do that. We have a stack of letters from your residents, saying they want Albuquerque. That's why we focused on Albuquerque. If there is a large demand for Phoenix, we will explore the possibility."
Kelly asked if the ticket were booked in advance, if the fare would remain firm to which Simpson replied that when a ticket is purchased it belongs to the passenger, so the fare wouldn't change.
Simpson said if the company could fill the plane with lower fares, it would go that way. "The success of the service is more important than making a few extra dollars."
In a chart, a comparison between the Pilatus PC-12 and the Cessna Caravan was presented. The Pilatus travels at 300 miles per hour and the Caravan at 197; the Pilatus is pressurized, the Caravan is not. The noise level in the Pilatus is low and high in the Caravan. Only the Pilatus has a lavatory. The average value of a Pilatus is $2.4 million versus 1.2 million for a Caravan.
When Kasten asked about flight time, Simpson told him it would be about 55 minutes.
Lucero noted that many elected officials want to travel to Albuquerque so they can get to Santa Fe.
"This is an idea we are exploring," Simpson said. "For $25-$30 each way per passenger, we could provide a shuttle service from the airport to downtown Santa Fe."
Lucero said the most demand would likely be during the legislative sessions.
"Drivers would be an issue," Simpson said. "We use one GMC Yukon in Dallas as a shuttle. If you get four people, we could drive to Santa Fe. You could also get picked up to go back to Albuquerque. We would have to feel it out and make it work. If it wasn't working, we wouldn't want to do it."
He said the service out of Clovis was becoming so popular Boutique Air had almost double the estimated passenger count. "We haven't needed to do a ton of marketing, although we are starting to do ads in newspapers and on the radio."
Encinas asked where the plane would originate. "We would overnight the plane in Silver City for the early flight and have the crew there, too," Simpson replied.
"What would you do if a plane is out of service?" Kasten asked.
"We would do all our maintenance in Silver City and have a spare plane in the area," Simpson said. "We keep two planes in Clovis and one in Las Vegas."
The next telephone presentation was with Pacific Wings representative Greg Kahlstorf. He began by saying: "I want to emphasize that picking your EAS service provider is important, but the DOT makes the final decision. Distribution of ticketing is important. We have the best distribution that can ticket you directly with Delta and United. We also have access to all the online travel agents. We are very, very visible."
Kasten asked about baggage policy. Kahlstorf said it is the same as Delta or United, with the first bag checked free, and fees on subsequent bags. "The personal item and carryon are free. The fares are calculated by distance and market. Under $100 is a simple everyday low fare."
Lucero said elected officials often travel to Albuquerque and asked about a possible shuttle to Santa Fe. "We don't operate shuttles. We're in the air service business," Kahlstorf said. "We have looked at extending the air service to Santa Fe and can revisit that. There are private shuttle services in Albuquerque. Just Google it."
Kasten asked about buying coupons in advance. Kahlstorf said that was possible and the coupons don't expire for at least a year. To a question from Kasten about length of flight, Kahlstorf replied about 1 hour 30 minutes, and the plane is limited to nine passengers. It would be possible to leave early and come back the same day. "We haven't put in the departure times, because that's important for the people who use it to decide. We will do a survey. We already have two pilots in New Mexico."
Ramos asked about cancellations.
"New Mexico is usually a beautiful place for flying," Kahlstorg said. "We would cancel in case weather is below the legal limits. The real factor is interline selection. We have had agreements since the 60s and 70s. We own all our equipment, and have a 40-year record of doing what we've done."
Kelly asked if the pilots were experienced flying in mountainous terrain.
"Yes, in Hawaii and in Texas, as well as New Mexico," Kahlstorf replied. "It depends on the certified pilots, which we have. I don't think the terrain matters as much as the experience. Safety is our top priority, followed closely by efficiency and economy. We are surveilled by the FAA constantly and have had no problems over the past 20-30 years. We have had eight years in New Mexico with no issues."
The airline uses the Grand Caravan 208B aircraft.
Doug Voss and Chuck Howell spoke from Great Lakes Airlines.
Howell explained that the previous August, the company was hit with FAR Part 121 regulatory requirements, because it flies twin-engine aircraft. "It left us with a pilot shortage and moved our goalpost. We applied for 135 operating specs. I am only discerning the difference to point out we had to take 10 seats out of every airplane, leaving us nine. We fly the Beechcraft 1900, which we laughingly called the Beechcraft 900, since it has only nine seats. We started hiring more pilots and in the future have the ability to add the 10 seats back into the aircraft. Since 2005, we've been serving you, most years to Albuquerque, and three years ago, changed to Phoenix, where you can get a connection to Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Phoenix is a more visible hub, with more flights out daily."
"Currently you have one flight a day, but in the proposal you have two," Kasten said.
"As we have regrown our pilot population, we would add the second flight back in," Howell said.
"At the time we went with you, you talked about a Santa Fe to Denver connection," Kasten pointed out.
"We no longer have the infrastructure in Albuquerque or Santa Fe," Howell said.
Voss added that in the past, the flights have been out of turn. "When you went to Albuquerque, the flight originated in Albuquerque. One thing we could consider when we have the pilot population up, is to originate the plane in Silver City to Phoenix. That would improve connectivity. As a practical matter, that is three or four months away. We do have the aircraft; we are using 17, but have 28. Our proposal is to Phoenix. We have gotten a lot of the mining business."
According to the proposal, Great Lakes' average fare is between $87 and $98, depending on whether it is 19-seats or 9 seats in a plane.
Mokulele Flight Service Inc. was unable to be on a call, but sent a comprehensive proposal. To answer some of the common questions, this reporter looked through the proposal. Mokulele proposes two round trips each weekday between Silver City and Albuquerque. The maintenance and operations base would be in Albuquerque, with service on a nine-seat Cessna Grand Caravan aircraft. The average selling fare would be $50 one way. Mokulele would market its service through its own website and through its established links to the Global Distribution System, and online travel agencies, such as already mentioned.
A proposed schedule would have the first flight out of Albuquerque at 6:30 a.m., making the first flight of the day out of Silver City at 8:25 a.m. The return from Albuquerque would be at 3:30 p.m.
The airline is based in Kona, Hawaii, and has been in business since 1998 offering service to seven destinations on five islands. It has, in 2013, won its first EAS service with the DOT between Kahului and Waimea-Kohala. It has code sharing with Alaska Airlines and Qantas and Air New Zealand. It is also possible to purchase tickets through many online ticket sellers.
Mokulele is proposing to realign its hub to provide service from Silver City to Albuquerque, with new-generation, reliable turboprop aircraft, according to its proposal. It would offer a single dedicated CN 208B aircraft dedicated to offering two weekday round trips in the Silver City to Albuquerque market, and a single weekend round trip flight Saturday and Sunday.
All the applicant airlines use a captain and a first officer onboard every flight. Two offer the Cessna Grand Caravan, one a twin-engined Beechcraft 1900 and one the Pilatus. Two have pressurized cabins—the Pilatus and the Beechcraft. Fares vary from a proposed $70 round trip up to $199 for a round trip. Baggage requirements and fees vary by the airline.
Lucero will attempt to set up a call with Mokulele Airlines.
Public comments can be made through Oct. 10. Kasten said he would ask for public comment on the EAS at the Oct. 7 County Commission combined work and regular session. Kelly pointed out that the group has met several times on the EAS issue.