More Vegas flights? Merced leaders endorse new airline — but not everyone’s happy about it
Officials may soon deliver on residents’ appetite for increased flights from Merced to Las Vegas — but not without compromise and changes to travel routes.
This week the Merced City Council unanimously endorsed Advanced Air as the top pick over Boutique Air for an Essential Air Service (EAS) contract with Merced Yosemite Regional Airport. Boutique Air had the contract since 2015.
“We’ve had our eye on Merced for a long time,” Barbara Hunt, Advanced Air vice president of business operations, told City Council. “It’s right in our area of operation, it’s where we want to be.”
But some locals aren’t happy about the decision — including some key stakeholders in the business community.
Several individuals, including members of the Merced County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Merced Hotel Motel Association, publicly spoke out recently to urge city leaders to reconsider.
EAS is a contract designation mean to addresses concerns for continued air carrier service to rural areas of the U.S. The program provides an operating subsidy to air carriers through a contract with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the selected carrier.
The current contract serving Merced expires July 31. City Council chose two different Advanced Air proposals as its top choices, with Boutique Air’s plan ranking third.
Which air service gets the new contract will ultimately be decided in August by the federal Department of Transportation — but the federal government will take the city’s recommendation into account.
Plus, the federal government’s decision has aligned with City Council’s suggestion during the past few cycles, Merced Economic Development Director Frank Quintero told the Sun-Star.
In addition to Advanced Air and Boutique Air, Southern Airways and Denver Air Connection also submitted proposals for the Merced airport. Quintero said that during his tenure he has never seen as many as four interested airlines.
“I believe that’s telling us there’s opportunity at our airport,” he said.
Merced airline switch stirs local debate
The proposed shift in carriers is largely spurred by Advanced Air’s commitment to connect Merced with service to Las Vegas International Airport.
Merced residents have expressed a high level of interest in flying to Las Vegas, especially given the Raiders’ move there from Oakland, according to city officials.
Four different Boutique Air proposals for the new contractual period included combinations of flights to Sacramento, Reno, Monterey and Los Angeles, but not to Las Vegas. Average airfare is $69.
The chosen Advanced Air proposal offers trips from Merced to Las Vegas and Los Angeles with average airfare of $145.
But rather than touching down on a Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) tarmac, planes would now land at Hawthorne Municipal Airport if the DOT supports Merced’s top contract choice.
Hawthorne’s airport, located about 3 miles from LAX, is Advanced Air’s home base — but not a commercial airport. The airline shuttles passengers to and from Hawthorne and LAX for connecting flights.
But some expressed concern that the inconvenience of removing direct LAX flights would be a mistake. “I fly frequently and if I were doing a connecting flight, I feel like I would have anxiety if I potentially missed a flight,” said City Councilmember Sarah Boyle, noting her preference for LAX.
Other officials voiced concerns over the higher average fare associated with Advanced Air. Merced County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Annissa Fragoso said Boutique Air’s prices better represents the budget of the average consumer. “The chamber believes boutique air represents the best option for the community,” she said.
But others say Advanced Air would bring new opportunities to Merced.
In addition to the Las Vegas flights, city staff highlighted the airline’s knowledge of Merced’s needs and its pledge of $70,000 annually to market the airport.
That financial promise addresses a key problem in Merced: the fact that many residents aren’t aware the city even has an airport, said Travis Colby, who serves on the Merced Regional Airport Authority. That problem, he said, can only be fixed through a strong investment in marketing.
Airline officials also said they plan to align flights into Merced with the Yosemite Area Regional Transportation System bus schedule to promote tourism in the “Gateway to Yosemite.”
“I think you’re what Merced needs at this time,” Councilmember Delray Shelton said of Advanced Air.
Airline appeals to City Council
Despite the May 24 deadline having passed to give carrier preference feedback to the Department of Transportation, representatives from Boutique Air have appealed to City Council to change its mind during the two most recent meetings.
The decision to endorse Advanced Air throws a wrench in business plans between Boutique Air and Gateway Air Center, which offers services like flight lessons and aircraft maintenance at the Merced airport. Officials from each business spoke at this week’s City Council meeting to plead their case against the decision.
“I would like to respectfully ask this body to consider naming Boutique Air as the number one choice of airline for this city,” Tom Lopes, president of Gateway Air Center, requested at this week’s council meeting.
Boutique Air founder and CEO Shawn Simpson told city leaders that he and Lopes have been working on a plan to make Merced Boutique Air’s home base and expand aircraft maintenance operations and pilot training.
The plan would have created at least 20 new high paying jobs in south Merced and cleaned up dilapidated buildings at the airport, he said. Simpson said it wasn’t included in Boutique Air’s proposal because it is a private business deal, but that given the circumstances it felt warranted to disclose to the council.
“We didn’t anticipate that we would not be reselected,” Simpson told City Council. “We want to make (Merced) a home for us,” he said at another council meeting.
Merced City Council members Fernando Echevarria and Jesse Ornelas, who represent areas of south Merced, expressed interest in the concept due to the benefits it would reap in their districts.
But other city officials were wary of committing to verbal promises over proposals seen in writing.
Echevarria, Ornelas and Boyle — who each expressed hesitation over Advanced Air — ultimately voted alongside their fellow council members in supporting the airline as the top pick.
As a compromise, the final vote replaced city staff’s recommendation of Southern Airways with Boutique Air as the third choice.
This story was originally published June 11, 2021 at 5:21 PM.
