Troup gets Department of Transportation confirmation that Southern Airways will be replaced as EAS provider

QUINCY — Quincy Mayor Mike Troup informed the Quincy City Council on Monday night that he received email confirmation on Sept. 18 that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service program has accepted the city’s request to begin work to replace Southern Airways Express as the air carrier for Quincy Regional Airport.

“They are drafting an RFP (request for proposal), which they will send us sometime in early October that will start the process,” Troup told aldermen. “It’s going to take months before we get a response, evaluate who the alternative carriers are, make a selection and get contracted with Department of Transportation. 

“But we finally did get the approval from Washington at the Department of Transportation. They’ve agreed with our request. We’ve got that in motion now, so (we’re) making some progress.”

A June 12 phone conversation between Troup and Michael Martin with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Office of Aviation Analysis was followed by a June 20 letter to express what Troup believes to be “significant issues” with Southern Airways Express, the Florida-based airline which is in the second year of a four-year contract to serve as the Essential Air Service provider for Quincy Regional Airport.

Troup’s June 20 letter noted his dissatisfaction with Southern Airways’ performance revolves around several key areas:

• Frequent last-minute changes to flight schedules.
• Enplanement and completion rate issues. Troup wrote that “a significant number” of cancellations and delays occurred in 2023, with the flight completion rate falling “far below acceptable levels.” He said the trend has continued into 2024.
• Passenger dissatisfaction. Troup wrote passengers have reported numerous complaints regarding the reliability of SAE’s services. Issues included a lack of notification for schedule changes, unscheduled stops and inadequate handling of delays and cancellations.
• Aircraft supply and maintenance issues: Troup wrote that Southern Airways officials said a spare plane would be housed in Quincy to work around potential maintenance issues. Troup said the aircraft was never put in place. He also said Quincy was promised to receive one of the new planes Southern Airways recently bought. Troup says the plane instead is being used at an airport in Indiana.

Troup then sent an Aug. 21 letter to Martin detailing conversations with former Southern Airways employees about passenger safety and problems with recently canceled flights. 

A Sept. 4 letter from Southern Airways Chief of Staff Keith Sisson to the U.S. Department of Transportation objected to Quincy’s request for early termination of its contract.

“Southern fully intends on not only serving the remainder of our current contract but also garnering (public support) as airline proposals are reviewed (for the next contract period),” Sisson wrote. “To this end, we respectfully ask the Department to allow the improvements and investment Southern is making in the marketplace to be realized … we implore the Department to resist the urge to comply (with the city of Quincy’s request) as such drastic action would lead to a globally unsustainable and damaging precedent for the EAS program and the airlines which serve its needs.”

Troup said after Monday night’s meeting that he followed up with the Department of Transportation.

“We explained what we don’t like about each of their counters,” Troup said.

Martin’s letter last week was the “green light” Troup wanted to see. He said the lack of schedule reliability was the biggest reason for Southern Airways’ failure in Quincy. 

“I mean, they had the pilots, they had the schedule, they had aircraft, but they canceled so many flights on a regular basis that the traveling public lost confidence,” Troup said. “The people who are traveling routinely either took the train to Chicago or they drove to St Louis and made arrangements whichever way they could go.

“Our number of flying passengers, it’s going to be hard to hit 4,000 this year, where we were hitting 10,000 to 11,000 in past years. Southern was talking about getting us to 20,000. Well, they’re going the wrong way.”

In other action, aldermen:

• Recommended that 916 Adams receive $6,680, 1304 S. 17th receive $20,000 and 201/203 Vermont receive $40,000 in Small Rental Rehab Program (SRRP) funding for the renovations/new construction for three apartment rental units and one single-family home.
• Adopted an ordinance to allow for a pet sitting/boarding business at 2110 State.
• Adopted an ordinance to reduce the number of aldermen on the Quincy Arts Commission from two to one and add an at-large member.
• Learned Alderman Ben Uzelac (D-7) will request at the Sept. 30 meeting to suspend the rules to discuss two ordinances before the City Council — one that would end the electrical aggregation program for the City of Quincy and one that would put the question regarding electrical aggregation on the April 1, 2015 ballot.
• Were reminded the city-wide cleanup is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday at Front and Payson.
• Granted a request to close 635 Kentucky to the corner of Sixth and Kentucky for an Ameren Illinois Emergency Response Open House from 8 a.m. until noon on Sept. 24 with barricades.
• Permitted Fireworks Authority Inc. to hold fireworks displays for the QHS homecoming football game on Sept. 27 and games on Oct. 11 and Nov. 2 at Flinn Stadium, 4400 Maine.
• Heard Troup read a proclamation declaring Sept. 23-29 as National Diaper Need Awareness Week.