Locair offering Cape passengers flights to KC, Cincinnati initially

The former marketing director for RegionsAir, the last air carrier to show strong long-term passenger numbers at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, wants the city to take a chance on something different.

Nate Vallier, general manager of Locair, told the Cape Girardeau Airport Advisory Board on Tuesday that his company will offer a variety of destinations, including roundtrip service to Branson, Mo., if it is chosen to handle the local Essential Air Service contract.

Service from Cape Girardeau to St. Louis is a dead end, Vallier said. He's offering to begin service to Kansas City and Cincinnati, Ohio, by mid-November and add the service to Branson next spring. Locair will use 19-seat turboprop jets that hold 19 passengers, buy his fuel in Cape Girardeau and, perhaps, locate his maintenance crews at the airport, he said.

Locair also wants to provide flights to Nashville, Tenn., and Atlanta via Bowling Green, Ky.

"It is focusing on what works for Cape Girardeau rather than remain locked into St. Louis," Vallier said.

The drawback to Locair's plan is that its federal license limits it to four round-trip flights per week to any single airport from its hub. The request for proposals from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which will have the final say on which airline is chosen for the two-year contract, seeks proposals for 19 total flights each week.

Vallier said his company will pursue a license that allows it to take daily flights to destination airports. Once that is granted, he said, Locair will "focus on key markets."

Members of the advisory board expressed also skepticism about the viability of flights to St. Louis.

"If you had options, you might find that people won't go to St. Louis," board member Rick Hetzel said. "We have never had options. The only option we ever had was to eliminate St. Louis."

But later, Hetzel said St. Louis should be part of an initial offering.

Locair was founded as a freight airline in Florida in 1996. It began offering passenger service in 2006 and currently flies passengers from Somerset, Ky., to Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. The concept for service from Cape Girardeau, Vallier told the board, is to build a network of flights modeled on the Allegiant Airline model. That company flies to major destinations from smaller cities, drawing passengers from a wide region by offering convenient travel options.

Locair would operate on the same principle, he said. Flights to Branson would continue to Little Rock., Ark., and perhaps eventually to New Orleans and Oklahoma City. The Kansas City flights would continue to Wichita, Kan. In each instance, he said, the airline would back the service with a marketing plan and competitive pricing.

A fare to Atlanta via Bowling Green would be approximately $200 compared to a St. Louis-to-Atlanta fare of $380.

The flight to Kansas City would cost approximately $75 to $125 each way and take 55 minutes. Kansas City International Airport is looking attractive because Midwest Airlines is increasing the number of flights available, he said.

The advisory board will meet again today to hear a proposal from Air Choice One of Farmington, Mo., and Cape Air of Hyannis, Mass. On Thursday SeaPort Airlines of Portland, Ore., will close out the presentations. The city must make its recommendation by Sept. 16.

rkeller@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, Cape Girardeau, MO