December 8, 2003
The Muskegon Chronicle
By Steve Gunn

When Northwest Airlines officials consider Muskegon County, they supposedly see more than immediate profits guaranteed by the federal government. They see a market full of airline passengers who could support local jet service for years to come, according to Marty Piette, manager of the Muskegon County Airport.

That's why airline officials are preparing a tentative agreement that would provide daily round-trip jet service between Muskegon and Detroit as early as April or May, according to Piette. County officials expect to see the airline's proposal by the end of the month, he said.

Airline officials have also mentioned the possibility of adding a second daily jet flight if ticket sales are brisk, according to Piette, who traveled to Minneapolis recently with several other local officials to discuss possible jet service with Northwest Airlines officials.

The jet service would be the first in Muskegon since the 1980s. The two airlines currently operating at the airport offer flights only on turbo-prop planes.

"We asked for the second jet (flight) right off the bat, knowing that probably wasn't going to happen, and they didn't laugh at us or throw us out of the room," said Piette. "We thought that was a good sign.

"I'm optimistic. I think (jet service) will happen. I can't guarantee it, but it certainly looks good."

Piette's claims were partially confirmed by a spokeswoman for Northwest Airlines.

Mary Stanik, the airline's manager of media relations, said Northwest is considering a single daily jet flight between Detroit and Muskegon, and expected to have a decision in January.

She would not confirm that airline officials are currently preparing a proposal for Muskegon County officials.
Northwest officials probably wouldn't consider bringing jet service to Muskegon without a financial incentive. In this case, the bait has been provided by the federal government, which recently awarded the county a $500,000 grant to help lure jets to town.

The grant will actually total $600,000, because the state and county are each adding $50,000.
The grant money will be used in a number of ways, including advertising for the new jet service, and guaranteeing the airline a certain amount of revenue for its trouble.

If the program gets off the ground, county officials expect Northwest to use Bombardier CRJ-100 50-seat jets, which are gaining popularity for regional flights throughout the nation, according to Piette. That type of jet will cut the time of a flight from Muskegon to Detroit from about 80 minutes to 50 minutes, he said.

Northwest Airlines currently has three flights per day between Muskegon and Detroit, with departures at 6:40 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 5:15 p.m. County officials would like the airline to send a jet to town every night for the 10 p.m. arrival, Piette said, and keep it here overnight for the 6:40 a.m. departure.

Airline officials said it's more cost-effective to offer midday jet flights, but did not rule out the county's idea, Piette said.
County officials are hoping jet service will reinvigorate passenger activity at the airport, which has been sputtering in recent years.

A recent survey determined that only 25 percent of regular airline passengers in the airport's marketing area use the Muskegon facility. It also revealed that many people prefer the Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids, which flies virtually all jets.

Muskegon County officials knew the grant money would not necessarily lure jet service to town. Thirty-four other airports throughout the nation received similar grants, and Northwest has refused to consider several of them for jet service, Piette said.

So why are they interested in Muskegon? The Northwest spokeswoman did not have that information available, but Piette thinks he knows why.

It's probably because the area has so many passengers that are flying but aren't using the county airport, Piette said. Airline officials probably think jet service will lure many of them back, he said.

Airline officials also took note of the "Fly Muskegon" campaign being conducted by the Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce, Piette said. So far, more than 100 local companies have pledged to use the county airport for business flights whenever possible, he said.

"(Airline officials) know we have the customer base here to support this," Piette said. "That's why they're working on a proposal."

© 2003 Muskegon Chronicle. Used with permission