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McCook Gazette

New airline service for McCook starts in June

Friday, February 25, 2022

McCOOK, Neb — The U.S. Department of Transportation has confirmed the City of McCook’s recommendation of Denver Air Connection, a subsidiary of Key Lime Air Corporation, to provide Essential Air Service at the McCook Ben Nelson Regional Airport.

The two-year Essential Air Service contract with Denver Air Connection will provide 12 weekly round trips to Denver from McCook’s airport, with two daily flights Monday through Friday and one daily flight on the weekend. Service will begin June 1, 2022 and go through May 31, 2024.

Denver Air Connection will replace Boutique Air as the essential air service provider. The federally-subsidized Essential Air Service ensures air service to eligible small communities that would not normally see any commercial air service.

The first year annual subsidy for Denver Air Connection is $2.91 million and the second year, $2.96 million.

Other airlines that submitted proposals to the city as Essential Air Service providers were Boutique Air, Air Charter Express, Air Choice One and Southern Airways.

According to the proposal submitted by Denver Air Connection, it will use a nine-seat Fairchild Metro 23 aircraft, has an interline agreement with United and intends to spend $20,000 annually to market the air service. The company is based in Englewood, Colorado.

Ticket prices will more than likely be in the same price range as Boutique Air tickets, said Kyle Potthoff, City of McCook Pubic Works Director. Denver Air Connection also has an Essential Air Service contract with Alliance, Neb., and according to its website, a one-way ticket to Denver is $49 and round-trip ticket, $98.

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  • Seems completely ludicrous that living 8 hours east of McCook and the fact that I will most likely never need a flight from the village of McCook to Denver, that federal subsidies are required to provide a cheap ticket for these flights. Just let supply and demand rule and those that can afford to fly without having their ticket cost subsidized with my tax dollars will be the deciding factor on which airline if any will make the choice that the economics of serving villages works for them.

    -- Posted by nebraskamike on Sat, Feb 26, 2022, at 9:41 AM

  • last time I visited I was the only one on the flight.

    -- Posted by greb on Sun, Feb 27, 2022, at 3:24 PM

  • I really hope that they will add flights to Lincoln and Omaha.

    -- Posted by jsides1999 on Sun, Feb 27, 2022, at 4:45 PM

  • As always time will tell if Denver Air can provide any better service than Boutique. I have flown Boutique at least 10 times over the last 5 years and delays and cancellations have not been unusual. When they have flown on time there has only been a full flight 3 times, 4 times maybe 3 passengers and 3 times I have been the only passenger including my most recent flight on January 30th out of McCook. I would guess for an airline to economically fly into McCook tickets would have to be at least $350 one way. I have no idea what the "flier market" in or out of McCook consists of but I think catering to that would make things much better - is it one day business persons going to Denver or people going beyond Denver for vacations and business? I would guess most passengers are going beyond Denver. So for Denver Air to be successful they need to look at connection times with a much less lay over in Denver - an 1840 departure time from Denver to McCook requires many hours of lay over in Denver for passengers. In looking at the "bigger picture" the USA has dropped the ball on "High Speed Rail" system. Look around the world on how large populations move - rail. Look at how the refugees are getting out of Ukraine - rail.

    If Amtrak had a reliable schedule I would consider taking the train to and from McCook. A few more car rental operations in McCook wouldn't hurt as well. NebraskaMike - I'm sure your tax dollars are being wasted in many other more significant ways than what you have noted from your perception with Essential Air Service to McCook.

    -- Posted by dameister on Mon, Feb 28, 2022, at 7:46 PM

  • Glad rural Nebraska receives some of our federal transportation dollars than most often goes to large urban cities on the coasts

    -- Posted by dennis on Wed, Mar 2, 2022, at 5:16 PM
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