Tri-Cities Airport moving ahead with plans for Los Angeles service

It might be a while before passengers can say goodbye to Hollywood and fly directly to Pasco.

The Tri-Cities Airport was awarded a $750,000 grant in September to go toward nonstop service to and from Los Angeles International Airport. Another $300,000 in local matching money also was raised.

The money is intended to help with start-up costs, marketing and revenue guarantees for the airline that agrees to the service. But a couple of obstacles remain.

“It’s really unclear when we would get an airline to agree to the service,” said Port of Pasco Executive Director Randy Hayden.

Airlines have been dealing with a shortage of available planes, but more are being manufactured, said Ron Foraker, the airport’s director. The biggest issue now is a lack of pilots.

“There are just not enough pilots coming into the system to fulfill the new schedule,” he said. “The retirement rate of pilots is almost greater than the new pilots coming in.”

Required 10-hour rests between duty periods for pilots also are an issue, Foraker said.

Airport representatives have meetings scheduled early next year with Alaska Airlines in Seattle and SkyWest, which provides planes for major carriers, in St. George, Utah. They also plan to meet with Delta and United, which already offer service out of Pasco, and American Airlines, which does not, Foraker said.

American actually approached Pasco about service to Los Angeles three years ago, but things got bogged down because of its merger with US Airways, which was finally completed earlier this year, Foraker said.

“What we thought was kind of a paved way to get that new service went away,” he said. “We can certainly go back to American now.”

A positive about working with American is that it also could help lead to service to Phoenix, Foraker said. A drawback could be that it might take longer to start flying to Los Angeles because it would have to add a ticket counter, unlike airlines that already serve Pasco.

Jack Penning of Sixel, an air service consultant, and Tri-City Development Council CEO Carl Adrian also are expected to take part in the discussions, Foraker said.

It will likely be about 18 months before service begins, though it could be sooner, Foraker said.

“As soon as you say that, somebody could step right up to the plate,” he said.

Los Angeles is a natural for air service because it is the country’s second-largest city and has its second-busiest airport, Adrian said. But it also could provide tourists for the Mid-Columbia wine industry and help generate economic development.

“California has traditionally been an out-migration state for business,” Adrian said. “Having a direct flight would make it easier for them to expand up here. There are a myriad of ways it would be beneficial for the community.”

Meanwhile, renovations continue to move along at the Pasco airport. Port commissioners were told at their Thursday meeting that the new kitchen is complete and operational. A food counter where people can buy drinks, sandwiches and other items is in business, along with a temporary bar. Foraker said bins where people can recycle bottles and other waste will be in place by January.

The first phase of the $41.9 million airport rebuilding project opened in September. The project remains on schedule to be completed in January 2017.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Tri-Cities Airport moving ahead with plans for Los Angeles service."