MASON CITY | Great Lakes Airlines is suspending service to Mason City and five other communities, effective Friday.
Charles Howell, chief executive officer, said in a press release, "Due to the unintended consequences of the new congressionally mandated pilot regulatory requirements, the company feels it is in the best interest of our customers, communities and employees to suspend service until we are able to rebuild our staff of pilots in order to provide reliable service."
The airline headquarters is in Cheyenne, Wyo.
Great Lakes and many small airlines have been crippled by new federal regulations requiring pilots on small airlines to have 1,500 hours of experience -- up from 500 hours in years past.
That's the same requirement as for pilots on larger airlines, and so now pilots who have that experience are flocking to the higher salaries of the bigger companies.
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Great Lakes had 304 pilots a year ago. Today, it has 98.
Pam Osgood, manager of the Mason City Municipal Airport, said Monday that Great Lakes' contract with Mason City was up in April and requests for proposals from other airlines to serve Mason City had long been scheduled to be sent out this month by the federal Department of Transportation.
She said the DOT assured her Monday it will put the request-for-proposals process "on the fast track" to keep air service in Mason City.
"There will be no service for the next two months," said Osgood. "But we should know within the next month or so what's available for Mason City.
"It's important for the public to know we are doing everything we can to keep commercial air service here. I hope there is no pandemonium. We have been through this before," she said.
Two years ago, when Delta Airlines decided to pull out of Mason City with its Mesaba flights, the DOT put out requests for proposals and Great Lakes received the contract over three other competitors, one of which was a start-up that had no aircraft at the time of its proposal.
"I am well aware of the public's concerns about the service Great Lakes was providing. But the 1,500 rule was a big part of the problem," said Osgood. "They were reducing schedules and canceling flights because they simply didn't have the crews."
Just this month, Great Lakes reduced its Mason City flight schedule from four flights a day to two a day to try to keep the service viable.
There had been signs of trouble for many months. Great Lakes took over from Delta in April 2012. That year, passenger levels dropped below 10,000 in Mason City for the first time since 1987, with a total of 5,879. In 2013, it dipped to 3,134.
In his press release, Howell said all customers with future flights to or from Mason City will be given refunds. "Please begin your refund efforts with your initial booking source," he said.
Osgood said the biggest job impact at the airport will be the loss of Great Lakes' ground crew and with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) personnel. Calls to Great Lakes and TSA were not returned Monday.
Jefferson Bus Lines, Hertz car rental and Bumbleberry Bakery also operate out of the airport.Â
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