By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
It's been more than a year since the carrier at Hays Regional Airport, SkyWest Airlines, filed notice with the U.S. Department of Transportation it would terminate service in 90 days in 29 cities across the country, including Hays, Salina, Dodge City and Liberal.
The decision was made due to an ongoing shortage of pilots, exacerbated by the pandemic with its near shutdown of air travel, and a growing number of captains reaching the mandatory retirement age of 65.
DOT immediately issued a hold-in order for SkyWest to stay in Hays.
The airport has continued to operate with SkyWest since then.
Multiple small communities served by SkyWest, which has the Essential Air Service federal contracts in those rural areas, are encouraging DOT to approve an option offered by SkyWest.
The Utah-based company asked DOT for permission to operate new flights under less-restrictive charter-airline rules if it limits jet planes to 30 seats.
However, DOT has taken no action on the application for commuter authority since it was filed in September 2022.
But it has done so with other carriers, according to Wade Steel, chief commercial officer of SkyWest, Inc.
"Very frustrating," is how Jamie Salter, airport director, describes the situation.
Salter said the city of Haysand other communities served by SkyWest support approval of the application and believe it would help to alleviate the pilot shortage SkyWest Airlines is facing.
"SkyWest Charter would be able to utilize Part 135 pilots who do not face the mandatory retirement at age 65 as do Part 121 pilots. (SkyWest Airlines operates in the form of a 121 certificate.) Part 135 pilots must pass FAA physical exams twice yearly to ensure fitness," Salter said.
From a safety perspective, Part 135 pilots are those who retired from flying Boeing 787 Dreamliners internationally (for example) with 20,000 to 30,000 hours of flight time, she said.
Salter, Steel, and airport representatives from Salina, Dodge City, Liberal, Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Mason City, Iowa, recently held a virtual press conference in support of the SkyWest Charter commuter authority authorization.
"SWC goes above and beyond the safety standards required for commuter authority by only utilizing pilots who hold FAA Airline Transport Pilot licenses in both seats of the flight deck – a commitment no other operator with DOT commuter authority has made," Steel said.
"The fact that SkyWest Charter’s application for commuter authority was submitted nearly a year ago and has yet to receive a response is particularly frustrating as there are other commuter carriers operating the same type of service with similar aircraft as proposed by SWC in various parts of the country, but at a lesser safety standard than SWC will apply," Salter said.
Although Steel said SkyWest Charter would surpass other charter operators in pilot training, rest rules and other safety practices, airline unions are fighting the request.
The Air Line Pilots Association is one of those opposed.
Corey Keller, director of public works for Dodge City, said the group is trying to "mislead the application process to show more bargaining power for its pilots. If there's less pilots in the system, it means more bargaining power."
Salter has been very happy with the performance of SkyWest at the Hays airport.
"They've done what they said. They're very reputable," she said Thursday.
She also noted there have been no disruptions in the flight service. An evening flight to Denver will change Saturday to arrive early in the afternoon at 12:11 p.m.
Hays' Essential Air Service contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation and SkyWest ends next year on July 31, 2024.