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McCook Gazette

Nelson vows fight for EAS

Thursday, November 3, 2011
Connie Jo Discoe

McCOOK, Nebraska -- Sen. Ben Nelson told the 100-or-so gathered for a Chamber of Commerce mixer this morning that he knows the importance of air service to the economic vitality of rural states and rural communities, and will continue to fight for federal funding that subsidizes scheduled commercial air service to communities like McCook.

Tim Monzon of McCook told the senator that about 60 Nebraska National Guardsmen and Army Reservists rely on air service to and from McCook.

Nelson said the Transportation Authorization Bill passed out of the Senate Tuesday, and Senate conferees could get it as early as tonight.

"We're working to keep Essential Air Service," Nelson said. "I'm optimistic we will be able to get that done."

He continued, "If there are no real changes, it will be done." If there are changes, he said, it goes back to the House and Senate.

Sen. Nelson said he is less optimistic about the appropriations bill that will fund EAS. The Senator said he is not comfortable that a "Deficit Super Committee" -- "12 people that I did not vote for ... that Nebraskans did not vote for" -- will decide how to make $1.5 trillion in "controversial cuts" in federal funding by Nov. 23.

Mary Osborne of Great Lakes encouraged flyers to "try McCook first," booking a McCook-Denver flight online with Great Lakes and putting it together with the websites of other airlines, thus increasing enplanements in McCook.

Duane Tappe of McCook won the two free round-trip tickets to Denver that Great Lakes gave away as a mixer door prize.

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  • The commercial air service is no different than the other businesses in McCook in that we need to use them or lose them. Shop McCook! Fly McCook!

    -- Posted by dennis on Thu, Nov 3, 2011, at 3:18 PM

  • Costs too much to Fly to McCook.

    I can drive 3 of us 12 hours to McCook for the price of 1 ticket. and that's including a hotel stop if we so choose. sometimes we just drive it straight.

    -- Posted by npwinder on Fri, Nov 4, 2011, at 7:15 PM
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