BROOKVILLE, Pa. (EYT) – Barely a month ago, business travelers and others in the area were anticipating cheap flights from DuBois Regional Airport to Pittsburgh and Baltimore, but now they’ll be waiting until 2017.
At Wednesday’s Jefferson County Commissioners meeting, the commissioners were asked if air service would begin on November 30 as Mark Cestari, Southern’s Executive Vice President of Business Development, said they would at the October 14 Jefferson County Development Council 18th Annual Corporation Meeting.
Commissioner Jack Matson said now the first flight is set to depart DuBois Airport at 5:35 a.m., Tuesday, January 3.
“From what I understand, they wanted a surplus of pilots because they are committed to on-time service, and they had a shortage from what they wanted,” Matson said. “There are two or three local pilots coming out of retirement, and they wanted to be on time at a 90 percent rate.”
“From what I understand, they have fully reimbursed fares to those who had planned to fly with them and given passes for future use next year.”
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s contract with Southern began on October 1 and runs through October 31, 2018.
Southern also has service in Franklin, Bradford, Altoona, Harrisburg, and Johnstown.
