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December 05, 2007
Lynx to fly tomorrow, but not yet to Aspen
Wed 12/05/2007 12:00AM MST
The new regional air carrier called Lynx Aviation, a subsidiary of Frontier Airlines, will be in the air this Thursday, according to Frontier spokesman Joe Hodas.
"We're on track to be flying by Dec. 6," Hodas said Tuesday. "Once we have the certificate hanging in the office, we can put a plane in the air."
Lynx has been waiting for certification by the Federal Aviation Administration and Hodas now expects final paperwork to be complete by Thursday. The airline plans to use 74-seat turboprop planes made by Bombardier Inc. that will fly under the Frontier name.
The new regional airline has been in discussion with local officials about adding Aspen to its service list, but Hodas said it "remains to be seen" whether that will become a reality.
"No additional service is pending," Hodas said, choosing his words carefully. "There is nothing in the near term right now."
Lynx will begin providing service from Denver to Wichita, Kan.; Rapid City, S.D.; Sioux City, Iowa; Billings, Mont., and Tulsa, Okla. It has already been providing service to some of those towns using different aircraft.
Bill Tomcich, president of Stay Aspen Snowmass, the local central reservations agency, is hopeful that Lynx will someday bring its turboprop airplanes in and out of Aspen from Denver, which is Frontie''s main hub.
"We're standing by and ready to support them as soon as they are able," Tomcich said, adding that he hopes the airline begins service to Aspen "as soon as possible and practical," although he declined to speculate when that might be.
A $100,000 marketing subsidy offered to Lynx and Frontier is still on the table, Tomcich said.
That money was put forward collectively by Stay Aspen Snowmass, Aspen Skiing Co., Aspen Chamber Resort Association, the town of Snowmass Village, and four local lodging properties.
It was hoped that Frontier might begin service this winter, but the delays getting the new regional carrier certified dashed those hopes
While the FAA has apparently cleared Lynx to operate as an airline, additional pilot training would be necessary before the airline could operate its turboprops in and out of Aspen's tricky mountain airport.
"We are a little different than Sioux City, Iowa," Tomcich said.
He said the upside of Lynx service for Aspen would be competitive pricing on flights between Denver and Aspen. That route is now dominated by United.
And Tomcich said Aspen was likely still attractive to Lynx/Frontier because it is one of the few mountain ski markets that could sustain year-round service.
For more information on air traffic above Aspen- Snowmass, visit us at www.stayaspensnowmass.com
Posted by admin at December 5, 2007 10:01 AM
