Allegiant Air Puzzles MTAA

By Mike Hall

By Mike Hall

THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Allegiant Air has said “no” to continuing its jet air service between Topeka and Las Vegas, but Michael Humberd isn’t ready to take no for an answer yet.

Humberd, president of the Metropolitan Topeka Airport Authority, was briefing MTAA board members Tuesday on two developments involving air service to Topeka. The good news is that the proposal for daily air service between Denver and Kansas City, Mo., with stops in Salina and Topeka, continues moving forward.

But in trying to save the Allegiant flights, Humberd sounded frustrated.

He said he and his staff had tried reasoning with Allegiant officials but can’t get a straight answer as to why they are canceling the Las Vegas flights.

He said Allegiant flights to and from Las Vegas have been running 77 percent full – not significantly less than the airline’s national average, 84 percent.

What Humberd can’t understand is why Allegiant doesn’t simply increase its fares from Topeka if it isn’t making enough money. He said the $89 flights from Topeka are way below the lowest fare he could find from Kansas City to Las Vegas – $269, and that is with one stopover compared with Topeka’s direct flight.

When he asks questions like that, the only response he gets, he said, is, “That’s not our business plan.”

“It’s like the decision is made and they’re not telling us everything,” Humberd said.

Concerning the proposed service by Great Lakes Airlines for the Kansas City-Denver service, he said the MTAA and the Salina Airport Authority have submitted an application for $250,000 to the new Kansas Small Community Air Service program to help subsidize the airline’s startup costs. He hopes to get a decision on that grant in late July or early August.

Great Lakes plans to fly 19- and 30-passenger propeller airplanes in and out of Topeka six times a day beginning early in 2008.

Mike Hall can be reached

at (785) 295-1209

or mike.hall@cjonline.com.

(c) 2007 Topeka Capital Journal. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.