Boutique Air chosen for four-year contract

McCOOK, Neb. — With City Manager Nate Schneider citing a dramatic increase in enplanements, the McCook City Council voted unanimously to a four-year contract with Boutique Air.

“Where we were two years ago is a night-and-day difference,” Schneider said.

Boutique has been the airline provider at Ben Nelson Regional Airport for the past two years. It provides 12 non-stop round trips per week from McCook to Denver International Airport, with two weekdays and one each on Saturday and Sunday.The agreement with Boutique was first was reviewed by the Airport Advisory Commission, which recommended the four-year rather than the two-year agreement.

The Essential Air Service subsidy requested from the Department of Transportation for Boutique would be $2.46 million in year one and $2.51 million in year two. Compensation for year three on a four-year agreement would be $2.3 million and year four, $2.10 million.

City Manager Schneider said Monday night at the regular council meeting that Boutique was great to work with and “listened to us” concerning issues at the airport. Enplanements at McCook have steadily increased, with 2,610 passengers in 2017, from 1165 passengers in 2016. He also added that the city does not have a say in flights or schedules.

In addition to the bid received from Boutique, the city also received a bid for airline service from Aviation Street Inc. In discussions with the Department of Transportation, the proposal from Aviation Street was determined not to be feasible.

Boutique uses a single-engine Pilatus PC-12 aircraft for eight or nine passengers with a two-member crew. Boutique Airlines also proposes to spend at least $20,000 annually in advertising and marketing, using local media such as radio, print, billboard, TV and Internet advertising.

In talks with Boutique, Schneider said they are finalizing an agreement with United Airlines, that would provide flow-through ticketing and baggage for flights that connect with United Airlines.

Councilmen Gene Weedin questioned whether competition by SkyWest Airlines, recently chosen by North Platte and Kearney, might affect numbers in McCook. SkyWest uses 50-seat regional jets for flights to Denver.

Weedin also asked if additional flights were planned in McCook and Kyle Potthoff of the Airport Advisory Commission said if the need was there, the airline would be open to that.