The Merced City Council says it wants to fly with a different pair of wings, in terms of passenger air carrier service at Merced Yosemite Regional Airport.
Leaders during their meeting this week voted 6-1 to give Smyrna, Tennessee-based Contour Airlines the airport’s Essential Air Service (EAS) contract, with service to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
Contour Airlines received the council’s top recommendation over other suggestions made by the Regional Airport Authority.
Those included Advanced Air, the Merced airport’s EAS contract holder for the last four years, which provides service to Hawthorne in the Los Angeles area and Las Vegas.
The council voted Monday under a ranked system, tagging Advanced Air its second choice. Advanced Air currently flies King Air 350 and Pilatus PC-12 turboprop aircraft out of Merced, which both seat around 8-9 people. Their proposal also had a Dornier 328 turboprop aircraft, which has around 30 seats.
Contour’s proposal had Embraer ERJ 135 and ERJ 145 jet aircraft listed, which each hold around 30 people. According to their website, Contour offers interline connectivity to Alaska, American and United Airlines.
At Councilmember Darin DuPont’s suggestion, the council supported a third option to recommend Contour Airlines with service to Phoenix, Ariz., and LAX.
Councilmember Sarah Boyle cast the dissenting vote. She spoke favorably about staying the course with Advanced Air. Among other factors, Boyle said she’s heard it’s a plus that Advanced Air flies from Merced to the smaller airport in Hawthorne, rather than LAX.
“The amount of positive responses I have received from people, that when L.A. is their final destination, they don’t want to have to deal with LAX,” Boyle said, adding that once it took 90 minutes “just to get to an Uber line, after getting our luggage.”
Boyle said she also had a positive experience flying from Merced to Las Vegas under Advanced Air. “I’ve loved every second of it,” Boyle said. “I always tell people it’s the private jet experience without the private jet prices.”
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will ultimately decide which carrier gets the airport’s contract, although the city council’s recommendation is an important factor.
One of the top factors cited by city leaders is a desire to boost the number of enplanements at the airport, which in turn could attract a wellspring of federal funding.
“I want to see two goals. I want to see the airport be an economic driver for our residents, and I want to get to the point financially where its burden on our general fund will be way diminished,” said Councilmember Shane Smith.
Rhett Williams, Merced’s airport manager, told the council that if the city is able to surpass 10,000 enplanements annually, it would mean $1.3 million in FAA grants for the airport, which would ultimately put less stress on the general fund.
The city’s budget includes a projected transfer of $367,633 in its general fund to cover airport deficits, according to Jennifer Flachman, Merced public information officer. Future revenue is expected to improve with the new terminal next year.
According to the most recent data, the airport currently has around 3,000 annual enplanements.
Ben Munson, president of Contour Airlines, told the council he’s committed to increasing those numbers. “We absolutely believe (Merced) can support 30-seat regional jet service. It’s what we proposed in our bid,” Munson said. “We forecast twice the passenger count of what exists today.”
The renewal of the EAS contract comes as Merced is on the cusp of completing a new $17 million terminal at the airport.
Merced has been a part of the EAS program since 1982. It provides a subsidy to carriers who service smaller airports connecting with larger urban hubs.
If approved by the FAA, Contour Airlines’ contract would take effect on Jan. 1.
A proposal from Skywest Charter was also among the recommendations made by the Regional Airport Authority to the council. It was bumped from consideration after its officials were no-shows at Monday’s meeting.