Does it Really Have to be Farewell to Big Sky Airlines in Montana? What can be done?
| March 6, 2008 |  View for printing |
With Saturday the scheduled day for the last flight of Big Sky Airlines to Havre, when air service will resume is up in the air. However, Montana’s members of Congress have taken up the battle and called for the players to continue service.
Tim Leeds Havre Daily News tleeds@havredailynews.com
Full Story: http://www.havredailynews.com/articl ... s/local.txt
***
Dick King, President and CEO of the Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation http://www.maedc.org , is working with the Montana Economic Developers Association http://www.medamembers.org regarding the possibility of creating a consortium of local economic development organizations for the purpose of assisting the employees of Big Sky Airlines purchase the company.
“We are trying to determine if there is interest in this idea,” King stated. “From an economic development standpoint, it is important to Montana to have an airline that serves rural communities under the essential air services program and that also connects these communities with larger cities in Montana though unsubsidized routes.”
Mr. King pointed out that Big Sky’s flights from Missoula to Billings are often full and that the airline also connected Missoula to Boise and Portland. “Clearly, the most important goal is to ensure that communities served by the EAS contract continue to have service,” he stated, “but there may also be an opportunity for the employees to establish a successful airline that connects these communities to larger Montana cities.”
King also noted that Big Sky Airlines supports good paying jobs in Montana. He encourages anyone interested in this idea to send comments to Gloria O’Rourke at MEDA (Gloria@medamembers.org). Mr. King can be contacted at dking@maedc.org.
Dick King, President/CEO
Missoula Area Economic Development Corporation http://www.maedc.org
1121 E. Broadway
Missoula, MT 59802
(406) 532-3204
(406) 880-0720 cell 
No reader comments so far. Be the first to comment by clicking the button below.
Reprinted under the Fair Use doctrine of international copyright law. Full copyright retained by the original publication. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.
