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Billings, 7 other cities studying regional airline
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) – Officials in eight cities, including Billings, plan to use a $1.5 million federal transportation grant to study the idea of a regional airline.
Associated Press -Billings Gazette
The grant went to the city of Bismarck, but the study also includes the cities of Fargo and Grand Forks in North Dakota, Sioux Falls and Rapid City in South Dakota; Cheyenne, Wyo.; Winnipeg, Manitoba and Billings.
Bismarck city administrator Bill Wocken said a private consulting firm has been hired, with help from the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State, to study such things as passenger demand, fares and schedules. He said the study should be finished by mid-January.
"What we’re proposing to do is to take a number of cities throughout the region and see if we can’t develop some way of putting together a smaller airline," Wocken said.
Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness is cautious.
"This is something that has been tried before, a couple of times at least, and has failed," Furness said. "But when we were informed of this, we indicated to the people in Bismarck that we would be willing to at least examine it, as long as it didn’t cost us any money."
Wocken said some things have changed since the earlier proposals.
"We’re hearing things about these smaller six- and eight-passenger jets that are coming on the market, and maybe that makes it feasible," he said. "So I guess we just need to take a fresh look and get the people who are in the business – so we know what’s available – and say ‘Put all the options on the table. Select the options that you think will handle this problem, and let’s pencil it out to see if it makes dollar and ‘sense,’ and let’s see if we can’t sell it."’
Wocken said the regional airline would have to make it without subsidies, and companies should know that going in.
"There won’t be a (safety) net for them, so when we get into this, we want them to be as comfortable as possible so that they will undertake the service," he said.
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Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.
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