Knox Airport seeks public input on air carriers: Cape Air, Boutique Air, Southern Airways Express
Story Location:
Knox County Airport
23 Terminal Lane
Owls Head, ME 04854
United States
OWLS HEAD – Every two to five years the Department of Transportation selects a carrier to supply the needs of a regional airport. This past contract was awarded in 2018 and is now up for bid again. Three carriers have submitted proposals for that award and the Knox County Airport wants public comments to help make a recommendation to the DOT.
The final decision comes from the DOT in Washington, D.C., according to Jeremy Shaw, manager of the Knox Airport, but recommendations in writing from the airport, the county commissioners and the airport public advisory committee all weigh on that decision.
“Rockland is the host city, so hopefully Rockland would provide some comments on this,” said Shaw. “The Knox County Commissioners, through Knox County, own the airport, so they would have comments, and those comments hopefully are a reflection of the comments made to them by citizens and the general public about air service.”
The DOT will look at letters and numbers in the proposals and make a final determination as to who is awarded the contract.
“Public opinion weighs heavily in this decision,” said Shaw. “This is a national stage; this isn’t a local decision.”
Three air service providers have submitted bids: Boutique Air, Southern Airways Express, and Cape Air.
Cape Air has held the contract since 2008, flying over 80,000 passengers from the Knox County Airport. Shaw said the relationship with Cape Air has been good.
Shaw said because Cape Air has been operating so long, it gives them a little bit of extra credit to get longer contracts. The last contract was signed in 2018 and was for four years.
“The county is open to all proposals,” said Shaw. “Something may add more value to the community then what we have, we don’t know, but that’s why the DOT looks for these solicitations to see if there is a better fit for the community.”
Shaw said a very important factor is the number of seats a carrier can provide.
“When Colgan Air was here, they used a larger aircraft,” said Shaw. “And in the summer months they could fill those aircraft. Right now, Cape Air operates six flights a day, so that’s 54 seats outbound, but sometimes that’s not enough. It’s important that the public has access to Boston, inter-line agreements where you can check your bag here and check them all the way to San Diego. You don’t want to have to reclaim your bag in Boston and then take it through security to get to another airline.”
Shaw said each carrier uses nine-seat aircraft; they are just different types.
Costs to carriers to provide air service:
$105 per landing
$45,000 per year for rent for office space
$10,500 per month for security
$850 per month for utilities
Shaw said it is lucrative for the county to have an air service operate here, but at the same time it helps maintain the building and provides employment.
Written public comments need to be received by July 22, 2022. They can be made through the city of Rockland, Knox County Commissioners or through the Knox County Regional Airport.
Shaw’s email address is: Jshaw@knoxcountymaine.gov
For the city of Rockland:
Mayor Ed Glaser: eglaser@rocklandmaine.gov
Sarah Austin: saustin@rocklandmaine.gov
Nathan Davis: ndavis@rocklandmaine.gov
Nicole Kalloch: nkalloch@rocklandmaine.gov
Louise Maclellan-Ruf: lmaclellanruf@rocklandmaine.gov
For the Knox County Commissioners:
Dorothy Meriwether: dmeriwether@knoxcountymaine.gov
Richard Parent Jr.: rparent@knoxcountymaine.gov
Sharyn Pohlman: spohlman@knoxcountymaine.gov
Shaw said the airport is ready for its next chapter. They are seeking proposals for a solar array, making plans to install an electric plane and vehicle charging station, and said they hope to see their first electric powered plane by November.
“Our electric costs have doubled here in the last year,” said Shaw. “We’re very mindful of that. We hope to be a zero-emission facility within the next year”
