Flight schedules change at airport

By TOM LAVENTURE

[email protected]

Ironwood — Scheduling changes for Ironwood to Chicago flights are due to a pilot shortage, according to reports at the Gogebic-Iron County Airport Board meeting on Monday.

Due to the nationwide pilot shortage, Boutique Air Inc., is unable to have two sets of pilots for its daily Ironwood service to Chicago, according to Michael Harma, airport manager. As of June 15 the airline has moved the flight time for Flight 831 to Chicago from 5:15 a.m. to 7:15 a.m., and moved up the 8:10 p.m. return Flight 836 flight from Chicago to 7:10 p.m. 

“The hope of this process is that one set of pilots can fly the whole day, versus needing to have two sets for each day, which is what they don’t have,” Harma said, noting he thinks it will help avoid delays when the airline needs fewer personnel to assign to the route.

Boutique delayed the schedule change to allow more people with previously booked flights the chance to complete their trips without possibly missing a connection, he said. But starting Tuesday, passengers will need to ensure connecting flights work with the new schedule.

Around 30% of passengers fly through United Airlines, which has an agreement with Boutique, he said. These passengers will have more support with changing missed connections to later flights at no extra cost.

The U.S. Department of Transportation accepted Boutique Air’s offer to resign from its two-year contract as soon as possible on May 19, Harma said. The DOT posted an order on June 1, to invite passenger airlines that might be interested in assuming the route service for a new two-year Ironwood contract.

The proposals are due back to the DOT by June 28, he said. The DOT will verify bids and send the valid offers to the board sometime after the Fourth of July holiday, at which time the board can hold a special meeting to consider face-to-face meetings with airline officials to determine a new candidate by the end of July to start as soon as August.

“I have had conversations with three different airlines, so we do have some interest, which is good news,” Harma said. 

The board 5-0 approved a contract application with the Michigan Department of Transportation. The grant is for the design phase of a project to rehabilitate the midway taxiway and connector lanes along with replacing taxiway lighting. This funding will pay for the design contract.

The board 5-0 approved sending out a request for proposals to replace the airport firefighter suits. The “personnel proximity suits and self-contained breathing apparatus” are scheduled to be replaced and the preference is to have tailored three-layer structural suits rather than the aluminum proximity suits the staff are currently using, Harma said.

The next step will be to identify turn-out gear manufacturers to see what companies will want to bid on the job, he said.

In his report on future hangar construction, Harms said that the airport’s engineering firm, Mead & Hunt, will update the board on the airport layout plan at the July 12 meeting. The report will include a feasibility study and recommendation for a general airport facility adjacent to the main terminal that would house administration,  maintenance and operations, along with commercial and general aviation hangar space.

The phase two per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) investigation is still in progress, Harma said. The testing involving the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team and contractors with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE), is part of a statewide project to determine the extent of PFAS infiltration and to identify sources of contamination.

There has not been any announcements regarding funding for remediation or removal of PFAS that is discovered, he said. However, the state is providing filters and other assistance to private property owners where PFAS is discovered.

In other business, in response to questions from the board, Harma said that revenue from airport logging operations was $71,320 and exceeded forecasts.