Airlines have until Nov. 14 to file proposals to provide essential air service at Quincy Regional Airport

QUINCY — Air carriers have until Nov. 14 to file a proposal with the U.S. Department of Transportation to provide essential air service (EAS) at Quincy Regional Airport.

The official order requesting proposals was made public Friday.

The order noted that Quincy Mayor Mike Troup explained in an Aug. 21 letter that Southern Airways Express, which has provided essential air service at the Quincy airport since Dec. 1, 2022, has consistently been unreliable.

“Based on the subpar performance, continued reduction of completed scheduled flights,
and lack of reliability for the traveling public with scheduled flights, we request that your office work with Quincy Regional Airport to replace Southern Airways with another regional airline,” Troup’s letter read. “I am disappointed that we have reached this point.”

The four-year contract with Southern Airways called for 18 round trips per week to Chicago O’Hare International Airport and 18 round trips per week to St. Louis-Lambert International Airport, using Cessna 208 aircraft capable of carrying eight or nine passengers.

Southern Airways was to receive annual subsidy rates:

The five criteria that will be considered when selecting an air carrier will be:

• Demonstrated reliability of the applicant in completing air service.
• Contractual, marketing, code-share or interline arrangements the applicant has made with larger air carriers serving the hub airport.
• Preferences of the actual and potential users of air transportation at the eligible place, including the views of the elected officials representing the users.
• Whether the air carrier has a plan to market its services to the community.
• Total compensation proposed by the air carrier for providing scheduled air service under this section.

“USDOT emphasized the importance of clear, well-documented proposals that allow for easy community discussion and analysis by USDOT’s EAS team,” the order read.

Interested air carriers were instructed to prepare their proposals with the understanding that their initial proposals would represent their final and only proposals.

“Air carriers should (have) every expectation that, should they be selected by (USDOT), they will be able to commence full EAS as described in their proposal on the first day of their new contract term,” the document read.

Transportation department officials can initiate negotiations on proposals or solicit a new round of proposals at any time. Airlines should service up to two airports considered hubs with numerous opportunities to fly to other destinations. Air carriers may propose more than one service option, but proposals should have at least one option that complies with the weekly flight schedule and aircraft that the Quincy airport currently receives.

However, if a proposal offers the use of aircraft seating 30 or more passengers, the Department of Transportation will consider 12 round trips per week.

Southern Airways replaced Cape Air, which ended its contract in May 2022 but continued to provide service out of Quincy Regional Airport because it was contractually obligated to cover the flights until a new airline could be secured. Officials at Cape Air cited a shortage of pilots as the reason for ending the contract. 

Cape Air had provided EAS support to Quincy for nearly 15 years.

Passenger traffic at Quincy from July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2024