Airport authority requests rebid of airline contract

BRANSON MO NEWS:

MAXWELTON — Defying opposition from a very vocal segment of the local population, the Greenbrier County Airport Authority is asking the federal government yet again for permission to rebid its Essential Air Service contract.Greenbrier Valley Airport management has been dissatisfied with the service provided by its current EAS provider, Via Airlines Inc., practically from the moment the carrier signed on the dotted line last fall.Citing unreasonable delays, cancellations, last-minute announcements of schedules and slow payment of airport fees, Greenbrier Valley officials asked the U.S. Department of Transportation in March to allow an EAS rebid, but DOT had already put Via on notice and, thus, did not take immediate action on the airport’s request.
In an emergency meeting Thursday, however, the airport authority voted to renew its plea to be permitted to rebid the contract, this time asserting that ViaAir’s customer reliability over a nine-month period has been only 33 percent.“This is not personal; this is business,” said airport manager Stephen Snyder. “It is my responsibility to keep this airport viable.”Given the opportunity to make remarks before the vote was taken to send the renewed request to DOT, Mike Kidd and Kara Dense — who are …