Red-rock hounds heading for Moab and oil-company workers bound for Vernal will have more flights available to and from Salt Lake by June, thanks to a federal agreement to offer subsidies to Mesa Air, the carrier that will provide the service.
Mesa Air, doing business as Air Midwest, plans to fly out of Canyonlands Field and Uintah County Airport under the U.S. Department of Transportation agreement, announced Thursday by Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah.
The carrier aims to operate 19-passenger planes for two daily nonstop round-trip flights between Moab and Salt Lake City, and Vernal and Salt Lake City.
The Phoenix-based airline also began selling tickets Sunday for air service from Cedar City to Salt Lake and Las Vegas. Those flights are scheduled to begin May 7. The Transportation Department awarded Cedar City's contract for air service to Mesa Air in January.
The federal help came through the Essential Airline Service program, which provides subsidies for air service in small communities and isolated areas. Subsidy rates were set at $1,298,785 for Moab and $562,720 for Vernal. The federal money will help alleviate some of the airline's costs to provide service to the towns.
Both towns have been served by Salmon Air, which has provided two nonstop flights daily out of Vernal and Moab in eight-passenger planes. But local officials said the cities needed a carrier that could accommodate more passengers.
Matheson worked with local officials and pushed the transportation department for the subsidies for Moab and Vernal because of the growing demands for air service to both destinations.
"Vernal is at the center of the Uintah Basin's booming energy development," Matheson said in a written statement. "It has no access to passenger rail or bus service, so reliable air travel is critical to its growing economy. Moab's tourism business is also dependent on thousands of national and international visitors being able to fly into Grand County."
He said Salmon Air and Mesa Air would negotiate the transition for when Mesa would take over service.
Jeffrey Hartz, senior planning, pricing and schedule analyst at Mesa Air, said flights for the two towns will begin by June. The airline has a two-year contract for service.
Although the federal program was put in place for rural areas, Mesa Air is hoping to tap into the large number of tourists and business executives who come through the three Utah cities, Hartz said Monday. Moab is close to numerous national and state parks, Cedar City hosts the internationally recognized Utah Shakespearean Festival, and Vernal has companies working to convert shale into oil.
Although Moab and Vernal received the federal money under the same agreement, they each hold separate contracts with Mesa Air. Vernal's contract was announced Friday during a special Uintah County Commission meeting that was attended by representatives from the local oil companies.
Uintah County Commissioner Mike McKee said that the Vernal airport will have to make some improvements in order to comply with federal safety regulations for fire and emergency safety plans before it can provide a base for the new airline.
As Mesa Air began selling tickets for its service to Cedar City, residents welcomed the low fares. "It's a little more than they originally proposed, but it's still considerably cheaper than what the fares are now," said Steve Farmer, manager of Cedar City Regional Airport.
Mesa will offer two flights to Salt Lake City on Monday through Friday, one flight on Sunday but no Saturday service. The airline will fly daily to and from Las Vegas.
Mesa will offer an introductory one-way fare of $49 on tickets purchased by April 8 for travel between May 7 — the first day of scheduled service — and May 31. That rate will be good for flights to Salt Lake City or Las Vegas.
Mesa's cheapest round-trip ticket to Salt Lake City will be $158, $20 less than SkyWest's best advertised price, Farmer said. SkyWest has served Cedar City for the past 31 years. Mesa's lowest round-trip price from Cedar City to Las Vegas will be $128.
Business travelers will enjoy the greatest savings with Mesa. The airline's cheapest round-trip walk-up ticket to Salt Lake City will sell for $198, while SkyWest's lowest price is $276, Farmer said.
Mesa's best advertised price for a Las Vegas walk-up ticket will be $168.
The regional airlines operates 182 aircraft with departures to more than 165 cities in 45 states, the District of Columbia, Canada and Mexico. The carrier offers flights independently as well as through contractual agreements with America West, Delta Air Lines, U.S. Airways and United Airlines.
Contributing: Associated Press.