The Idaho Statesman
This weeks scheduled inauguration of round-trip air
service between Boise and Sandpoint by Idaho-based McCall
Aviation was delayed.
The launch of the four-day-a-week service has been pushed
back to an undetermined date while local businessmen put the
finishing touches on a $270,000 cash incentive required by
the agreement between Bonner County and McCall Air.
When launched, the air service will include round-trip travel
between Sandpoint and Seattle.
Local officials believe introduction of air service will
help economic development by making Bonner County more attractive
to businesses considering relocating to the area.
Rich Faletto, vice-chair of the Sandpoint Air Service Committee
that has been working for three years to bring air travel
to the community, said some $250,000 in pledges for discounted
tickets on McCall Air have already been sold.
"But we have to have $270,000 in the bank 30 days before
services begins," Faletto said. "We're confident
that we can pick that up in the next week."
Faletto said the committee delayed asking purchasers to pay
for their tickets until the Bonner County Attorney's Office
had signed off on the agreement with the county.
That process took longer than expected, he said, so people
only began paying for their tickets this week.
The pledges, which can be purchased through May 7, are for
a special discounted fare of $97.50 for a one-way ticket between
Boise and Sandpoint.
"After that, the price of the ticket is going up,"
Faletto said.
McCall Aviation president Dan Scott declined to say how much
the price of a ticket will increase once service begins, but
added that customers purchasing a book of 12 round-trip tickets
prior to May 7 will receive an additional round-trip ticket.
Flights are scheduled to operate Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
and Friday.
Tentatively, plans call for a nine-passenger Cessna Caravan
to depart Boise at 7 a.m. for the two-hour flight to Sandpoint.
It will depart for Seattle at 8:30 a.m. (Pacific time), arriving
at 10 a.m. The plane will depart Seattle at 2 p.m., returning
through Sandpoint and arriving in Boise at 7 p.m.
The Boise/Sandpoint/Seattle route is McCall Aviation's first
entry into the scheduled commuter service market.