Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Cape Air in Rutland VT

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web

vectorvictor

Well-known member
Joined
Oct 28, 2006
Posts
355
Congrats to the cape air guys.....I think I speak for everyone who's flown into and out of Rutland in the winter and unaminously say that you can have it if you want it.


Cape Air is choice to serve Rutland

August 11, 2007

By Bruce Edwards Herald Staff
Rutland is banking on Cape Air and its nine-passenger planes to succeed where other commuter airlines with bigger planes have struggled.

Rutland Mayor Christopher Louras will recommend Cape Air to the Department of Transportation as the region’s choice to replace CommutAir under the federal Essential Air Services program.

Louras’ letter to the DOT is based on the unanimous choice made late Thursday by an ad-hoc committee of local officials and business leaders, including Louras.

The committee this week heard presentations from Cape Air of Hyannis, Mass., and Big Sky Airlines of Billings, Mont. Both airlines expressed interest in providing daily flights between Rutland and Boston under the federal subsidy program.

Thomas Donahue of the Rutland Region Chamber of Commerce said Friday while the area would be well served by either airline, Cape Air was recommended based on its schedule, lower fares and its partnership with JetBlue, which connects Boston to 26 cities.

Cape Air (www.flycapeair.com) will operate three roundtrip flights a day and keep a plane overnight at the Rutland State Airport for its daily 6:30 a.m., flight. That was a major selling point for local officials who say it’s critical to avoid cancellation of the early morning flight when bad weather can prevent planes from landing, especially in winter. In the past, local officials have been frustrated in their attempts to convince airlines to keep a plane in Rutland for the early morning departure.

Big Sky proposed two roundtrips a day with the first flight not departing until 11:35 a.m. Big Sky said it would add an early morning flight to Boston through Albany, if it could free-up a spare aircraft. But Donahue said Big Sky’s ability to add a third flight was not a certainty.

Donahue said another plus in Cape Air’s favor is its fares. The airline lowered its proposed one-way fare to Boston from $77 to $61 (including taxes), about half that of Big Sky’s fare. Cape Air also will offer an introductory $49 one-way fare with a 14-day advance reservation.

“We think price is a fairly significant advantage because we have to have a compelling reason to park your car here and stay here, instead of driving to where we well know is the competition, Albany, Burlington, Hartford, Manchester,” said Donahue, who co-signed the letter of recommendation with Louras.

Another benefit, Donahue said, is Cape Air’s partnership with discount carrier JetBlue. Both airlines share Terminal C at Logan International Airport.
He said Cape Air’s ticketing arrangement with JetBlue also could be a “huge” advantage for Rutland.

JetBlue passengers flying into Boston and on to Cape Cod, Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard using Cape Air can book their entire flight on JetBlue’s Web site. In making his presentation this week, Cape Air President Dan Wolf said while he couldn’t guarantee it, he would lobby JetBlue to add Rutland as a Cape Air destination city. If that happens, it would mean someone could book a flight from any JetBlue city to Rutland or vice versa on JetBlue’s Web site.

The affiliation with JetBlue persuaded Louras that Cape Air was a good fit for Rutland. He said that partnership guarantees air travelers low fares, even when Cape Air’s Rutland-to-Boston fare is tacked on.

Louras said the airline’s familiarity with New England shouldn’t be overlooked either.

“I think they know how to serve small New England populations whether it’s in Massachusetts or in Vermont,” he said. “They know how to serve those folks and them folks are us.”

For Jay Hathaway of the Manchester and the Mountains Chamber of Commerce, Cape Air was the logical choice.

“What I like about Cape Air is it’s an airline that’s financially very sound,” said Hathaway, the chamber’s executive director and a member of the airline selection committee. “They are an airline that has no debt and 42 airplanes that can be on the ground and available to us within 45 minutes.”

Both Cape Air and Big Sky submitted proposals to replace CommutAir to provide daily service to Boston. CommutAir has notified the Department of Transportation that it intends to end its Rutland service as soon as a replacement airline can take over.

Big Sky uses 19-passenger aircraft, identical to the Beech 1900s used by CommutAir, while Cape Air uses nine-passenger Cessna 402s.

Donahue said there are a couple of caveats to the selection of Cape Air. One condition is that Cape Air convince JetBlue to add Rutland to its Web site as a destination. The other is that Cape Air’s planes meet the Rutland airport’s special approach requirements, which have lower minimum landing criteria. The other condition involves the Department of Transportation issuing a waiver so Cape Air’s nine-passenger Cessna 402s qualify for the EAS subsidy.

Currently, airlines must use aircraft with a minimum capacity of 15 passengers to qualify for the subsidy. Such waivers have been issued to other airlines and Donahue said he did not think it would be a major hurdle.

The issue of aircraft size was discussed by committee members. Donahue said there is a tradeoff with Cape Air’s smaller planes. The benefit, he said, is that Rutland would get more flights, an early morning flight and lower fares and the JetBlue connection.

Big Sky is a Delta Connection airline with numerous connecting flights in Boston. Big Sky President Fred deLeeuw told committee members that it wouldn’t cost any more to fly from Rutland than it would from Burlington to cities served by Delta.
But Donahue said that in the past employing larger aircraft hasn’t been a panacea to convincing more passengers to use the Rutland airport.

“Big Sky is very similar to CommutAir and Colgan Air … but the other two weren’t working as hard as we tried,” he said.

He added that Cape Air would add additional planes if a particular flight is fully booked. He also noted that Cape Air has a 97 percent flight completion rate, making it extremely reliable.

Hathaway said that starting with smaller aircraft is the way to go.

“If you a nine-seat airplane and you have one person on it, you only have eight empty seats,” he said. “If you have a 19-seat airplane and you only have one person on it, you have 18 empty seats.”

Founded in 1989, Cape Air links Boston and Providence to Cape Cod and the islands. It also has several routes in Florida, Puerto Rico and Micronesia in the Pacific. The company carried more than 650,000 passengers last year on its 49 Cessnas and two ATR-42s (used on the Pacific routes).

Big Sky is seeking an Essential Air Service subsidy of $862,304 a year. Cape Air is requesting a subsidy of $839,746. CommutAir’s current subsidy is $849,705.
While the final decision rests with the DOT, the agency gives considerable weight to the recommendation made by the host community.
Contact Bruce Edwards at [email protected].
 
They can't staff the routes they have now. Hooray poor planning.
 
The deal still needs to be sealed, but so far, it looks like it could be theirs.

Don't they have to meet the single engine climb requirements on the missed? They may not be able to meet obstacle clearance on the LOC approaches with the lower mins, this might screw them when the weather is down and they have to fly higher mins approaches. This is just speculation on my part, btw-- can someone confirm or refute this rumour?

I will always miss flying into RUT. Are we pilots or a bunch of ninnies? This is where those with experience, discipline, judgment, and skills are separated by those who are still trying to figure out what those pedals on the floor do during a crosswind landing.
 
Are we pilots or a bunch of ninnies? This is where those with experience, discipline, judgment, and skills are separated by those who are still trying to figure out what those pedals on the floor do during a crosswind landing.

Tell that to airline management. They figure if they can train one to punch buttons, he'll be able to handle anything.
 
I've carried more ice than people in and out of there. That full approach in a single pilot 402 will be a blast.
 

Latest resources

Back
Top