Quick Takes –Lynx, Island Air, Horizon, SkyWest, Pax Rights

Frontier Airlines Lynx Commuter Pass Frontier Airlines is offering a commuter pass of six or 10 one-way tickets that will allow customers to fly from Denver or Colorado Springs to Aspen, Durango and Grand Junction this spring at significantly reduced prices. The passes include flights on both its wholly...

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Frontier Airlines Lynx Commuter Pass
Frontier Airlines is offering a commuter pass of six or 10 one-way tickets that will allow customers to fly from Denver or Colorado Springs to Aspen, Durango and Grand Junction this spring at significantly reduced prices. The passes include flights on both its wholly owned subsidiary Lynx and Frontier partner Great Lakes Airlines. Travelers can purchase six one-way passes for $99 per ticket or 10 one-way passes for $89 per ticket. The Commuter Pass makes it possible to do multi-day trips from Denver to some of Colorado's top destinations without renting a car. Frontier passengers flying to any of the new Colorado markets will also earn double EarlyReturns miles on travel completed by June 30, 2008.
"We believe the Commuter Pass will give leisure travelers a wonderful opportunity to experience the variety of great activities available in Colorado, while offering tremendous flexibility to the business traveler as well," said Frontier Vice President of Planning Patrick Zachwieja.

Island Air Bids on EAS Routes
Looking for new opportunities outside the hotly competitive inter-island market, Island Air is bidding on Essential Air Service routes in the Midwest using de Havilland/Bombardier Dash 8 aircraft. The airline is interested in serving communities in Missouri, Arkansas and Nebraska, using Kansas City as its hub. CEO Les Murashige told Pacific Business News that the expansion would spread fixed costs and expenses but EAS often drains coffers since the Department of Transportation does not increase rates to cover rising fuel costs.
The routes are now served by Air Midwest, which last year announced it was getting out of all its EAS markets owing to severe losses. Mesa, its parent company, is also selling off its Beech 1900s. The plan is for Island Air to link to United and Continental flights. It would receive subsidies that could be between $1.3 million and $2 million per. The move follows a similar action by Hawaiian-based Pacific Wings airlines which took over Air Midwest EAS points in New Mexico using a nine-seat Cessna Caravan as New Mexico Airlines. Related Story

Spring Sale at Horizon/Alaska
Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air have launched a major fare sale featuring one-way fares of less than $100 on more than 100 routes and double miles on many flights. "Spring Savings" one-way sale fares start at $47 between Portland, Ore., and Sacramento, Calif.; $59 between Seattle and Denver; $69 between San Francisco and Palm Springs, Calif.; $73 between Seattle and San Francisco; and $81 between Seattle and Los Angeles. One-way fares for Mexico travel start at $119 between Los Angeles and La Paz or Loreto.

SkyWest Plans SFO-Oregon Destinations
SkyWest Airlines plans new United Express service between San Francisco and two new Oregon destinations – Klamath Falls and North Bend, beginning July 7. SkyWest will provide two daily round-trip flights to San Francisco using the 30-passenger Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia aircraft.

Media Watch – T-props
The Associated Press finally caught on to the resurgence of turboprops, reporting last week that the fuel has made them more attractive, after being assigned to history at most regional airlines. It also reported what industry already knows – manufacturers have made them more comfortable, and added that ATR is considering a new aircraft while Bombardier is looking at a 90-seat Q400 variant.
Interestingly, on a recent flight from Newark, Regional Aviation News learned that air traffic control is not using the capacity-generating benefits of the Q400s. The pilot indicated that ATC does not know the operating characteristics of the new turboprop and treats them just like the last-generation turboprop aircraft. Sadly, this reduces the benefits of the Q400 which can use a cross-wind runway at the airport to increase capacity. Pinnacle reported after presentations on the benefits of the Q400, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was won over, asking when they can be used at its other three airports. Now, all we have to do is get FAA to update its outlook of turboprops.

Congress to Propose Pax Rights Bill
Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Jerry Costello, D-Ill vowed to develop legislation for a federal passenger bill of rights following this week’s federal appeals court ruling overturning New York’s Passenger Bill of Rights, the only such bill in the nation. The court ruled only the federal government has the authority to govern air carriers. The move disappointed passenger rights advocate Kate Hanni, founder and spokesperson for an Airline Passengers' Bill of Rights (CAPBOR) but Air Transport Association said, "The court's decision vindicates the position of ATA and the airlines – that airline services are regulated by the federal government and that a patchwork of laws by states and localities would be impractical and harmful to consumer interests."