Posted on 12/02/2004 11:51:56 AM PST by BenLurkin
PALMDALE - A 19-seat de Havilland Twin Otter aircraft with oversized windows for sightseeing touched down Tuesday at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 and taxied to the refurbished terminal of Palmdale Regional Airport. The arrival of the private craft, owned by Las Vegas-based Scenic Airlines, marked the return of air passenger service to and from Palmdale airport.
Scenic will initiate its Palmdale-to-Las Vegas service on Dec. 29, offering 10 round-trip flights a week.
For the first few weeks, each one-way trip will cost $49 per person. After an introductory period, the one-way cost will increase to $79.
Seated on the first incoming flight were Neal Williams, Scenic's director of operations, and Mitzi Daines, Scenic's director of business development.
"It's a lot better than driving," Williams said of the trip that started at North Las Vegas Airport.
Officials from Scenic, as well as the cities of Palmdale and Los Angeles, all are betting that vacation and business travelers from north Los Angeles County will think the 70-minute flights are better than three to four hours of driving.
"We think that this whole north county market is viable for businesses such as Scenic, and we think they will prove that the market (for regional air travel) exists," Palmdale Mayor Jim Ledford said.
Palmdale is the third underserved city where Scenic has stepped in to fill a need, Daines said.
Though the firm primarily caters to overseas tourists who want to visit the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park or other locations, it also provides regular service to Ely, Nev.; Merced, in Northern California; and now Palmdale, she said.
Every weekend, Interstate 15 is bumper to bumper with vehicles traveling between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, Daines said.
Because of its existing passenger terminal and support infrastructure, Palmdale Regional Airport was ready and waiting as a solution to that congestion, she said.
North county travelers also can use Scenic's service to eliminate their dependence on Los Angeles International and Bob Hope (Burbank) airports for national and international flights because of its connections to McCarren International Airport in Las Vegas, Daines pointed out.
The initiation of Scenic's services in Palmdale is expected to generate interest among other air carriers, Ledford said.
"We think this is just the beginning" of a new era of air travel from Palmdale, the mayor said.
"Transportation is the key to all kinds of economic development. This is going to open some doors to some other opportunities and will put this (air) terminal on the map again," he said.
Among those opportunities could be increased tourist traffic through Palmdale to attractions throughout the region, Ledford said.
In a written statement, Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn concurred with the need for diversified air service in Southern California.
"Palmdale Regional Airport plays a key role in my vision for a truly regional approach to meeting the demand for air service in Southern California in the 21st century while helping alleviate congestion at LAX," Hahn said.
If business warrants, Scenic may opt to replace its de Havilland planes with its faster Beechcraft models, said Mark Thorpe, director of air-service marketing for Los Angeles World Airports, or LAWA, the municipal agency that owns Palmdale Regional's terminal and operates LAX, Ontario International and Van Nuys airports.
LAWA has been assisting Scenic in its efforts to establish service at Palmdale since October 2003, Thorpe said.
That assistance included negotiating terms with the U.S. Air Force, which controls the runways that Scenic must use, and temporarily reducing the fee that Scenic - or any other airline - will be charged for using the local terminal, said Brandon Eaton, LAWA's director of operations at Palmdale.
Scenic intended to initiate service at Palmdale in March 2003, but could not because of Air Force concerns about security.
To alleviate those concerns, Scenic was required to install passenger- and luggage-screening equipment at the Palmdale and North Las Vegas terminals.
Los Angeles County, via the office of 5th District Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich, and the city of Palmdale each contributed $25,000 to help reduce Scenic's cost of adding screening services, Eaton said.
LAWA also invested more than $300,000 to help refurbish the Palmdale terminal, he added.
In his written statement, Antonovich said the arrival of Scenic Airlines "is the first big step in the development of a regional approach to meeting Southern California's air-travel needs."
"This action will create jobs, boost the local economy and provide convenient air travel for North Los Angeles County residents," the supervisor said.
Better than driving? Maybe. Makes a 'day trip' more attractive.
I went to Vegas this weekend from San Diego. Flew Southwest Airlines and paid $35 each way. Incredible deals you can find on their online website www.iflyswa.com
Thanks!
That's so funny.
( featuring an air conditioner breakdown around Barstow on the fourth of july!!!!!!)
How long til they crash one into the SkunkWorks?
well WE AV'ers have to support this lil operation. and show the big airlines that the AV is not just some hicks.
it's sad that the AV is known for it's innovations in flight. but doesn't have a friggin airport.
we can privatize flights to space. but can't fly commercially out of our own valley? truely sad.
like I always say If you can't be athletic - atleast be an athletic supporter.
I remember when I was a kid in the 1970s, my stepdad worked for LA Street Maintenance, and he took me out there to show me the runways they laid, and how it was going to be the "New LAX"
I am still waiting!
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