Airport, Boutique agree to end contract

By TOM LAVENTURE

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Ironwood - The Gogebic-Iron County Airport will start looking for a new Essential Air Service provider after a unanimous decision Monday to terminate the current contract with Boutique Air Inc., following the second potentially life-endangering incident since January.

Passengers and other community attended the regular board meeting Monday following an incident with Boutique Air flight 834 that was departing Minneapolis for Ironwood on May 5, with five passengers and two crew, when the cargo door on the single engine Pilatus PC-12 passenger plane opened, spilling luggage and frightening the passengers who alerted crew to abort the takeoff. The plane returned to the terminal and no one was injured.

"Quality control is gone," said Dan Siirila, an airport board member and Gogebic County Commissioner. "I think there is no way you can pick up the pieces ever again."

Shawn Simpson, CEO of Boutique, flew in from San Francisco to address the board and passengers. After hearing all of the concerns he said that he would agree to end the contract with the board's decision.

Simpson said that after an investigation it was determined that the two pilots failed to complete the checklist protocol that included ensuring the door was fastened securely. The two pilots are no longer employed with the airline, he said.

There was no equipment malfunction, he said. The Pilatus PC-12 has an excellent safety record but in his opinion the plane was designed to be a private aircraft and not for commercial passenger use.

The airline will make the passengers whole in terms of refunding their ground transportation costs and damages luggage, he said. As for the EAS service he said that if the airport wanted Boutique to leave the two-year contract that started in August then he would honor that decision.

"I want what's best, even if that means we're not here," Simpson said. "The fact that these two incidents happened here is terrible. It's unfortunate. What I am happy about is that no one was injured and that is honestly what I really care about."

It is preferable to resign the contract and to walk away with the mutual respect of the airline and the airport board, he said. After listening to the community concerns he understands that people are rightfully upset and he just wanted people to know he was there to deal with it.

The operation has turned out not to be a good fit for Ironwood and to prolong that situation will make it more painful for everyone, Simpson said. It's important to do what is best for all concerned and to work with the airport board, he said.

"We hear what you're saying," Simpson said. "We want this to be as smooth as possible even if that means we are not here. So if that's the best thing then I want to support that."

Siirila commended the airline for "standing up" to the situation.

The decision came after airport manager Mark Harma said the process for requesting the contract be dissolved starts with a letter and meeting minutes that express dissatisfaction with service to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which oversees the EAS program. That route involves a lengthy period of work to make improvements and if the board is contending that trust in service cannot be restored that it was best to pursue a mutual agreement with the airline, he said.

With Boutique Air agreeing to release Ironwood from the contract the airline will remain in service for 90 days while the airport board conducts the bidding process. Boutique would be asked to remain for around another 90 days until the new carrier can establish operations, he said.

"We are looking at probably December before we are done, but that would be faster (than the DOT route)," Harma said.

Brandon Snyder, board member and Iron County Supervisor, said it's not financially viable for Boutique to continue and it's not viable for the airport to continue this way and hope to grow the EAS service. There are larger commercial airports within two hours in any direction and the goal of this airport is to capture local passengers who prefer not to drive those distances to catch flights, he said.

"Let's be honest, passenger confidence is gone," Snyder said of Boutique Air. "It was low before and it was starting to creep back up but now there is just no chance."

Meetings like this are not good for any company or the airport, Harma said.

Jim Lorenson, airport board member and Iron County Commissioner, said that if the board members would not want their own family to fly the airline then how can they, as a board, try to continue the arrangement.

"Clearly something has to change," Lorenson said.