US Airways Express Stops Island Flights After Oct. 15; Carrier Cites
Increased Costs

By JOSHUA SABATINI

US Airways Express, in its fifth year of servicing the Island,
announced Monday that Oct. 15 will be its last day operating out of the
Vineyard airport.

Colgan Airlines, located in Virginia, signed on as co-carrier for US
Airways last December. Vice president of marketing for Colgan, Mary
Finnigan, said the decision came in response to the decreases in airline
traffic and the need to cut back flights. "We have to focus on
where the passengers will be the greatest in numbers, and we are
downsizing," she explained. Mrs. Finnigan said she hopes the
service will return to the Vineyard next spring, but nothing is certain.

Vineyard airport station manager Bill Weibrecht said the
airline's decision "is all part of the fallout of the system
restructuring and the reductions that are happening because of increased
costs and lack of passengers. Ultimately, this is a matter of increased
cost and decreased revenues for all operators."

The gap in service will be noticeable. Seasonally, from June to
October, US Airways connected the Vineyard with several markets: Boston,
Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, La Guardia, White Plains and Pittsburgh.

Last year, for the first time, the Vineyard airport did not retain
any year-round New York service of any kind. "This year we had
convinced US Airways to keep at least one flight a day to New York all
season long, and that was good for the Island, good for us and good for
the businesses that depend on that market," said Mr. Weibrecht.
"The advanced bookings were positive, according to US Air, as
recently as Sept. 12. So it wasn't that the market wasn't
going to support that service."

After Oct. 15, the only passenger service to and from the Vineyard
airport will be Cape Air. Cape Air flies direct routes from Boston,
Providence and New Bedford to the Island. Any New York service will have
to be by way of a connecting flight from Boston or Providence.
Connecting flights to Washington are not available because that airport
is shut down. Also, shuttle service between Boston and New York has
drastically decreased.

Cape Air is continuing its regular service. Passengers flying
off-Island have the difficult task of synchronizing their flights out of
the cities, especially with the decrease in flights and the time delays
due to heightened security.

Mr. Weibrecht advised people to think about how they travel as far
as what they bring with them. "Part of the difficulty with getting
through the screening process at any airport is the amount of stuff that
people try to carry on with them. That is increasing the volume of what
has to be checked and rechecked. Travel light. Carry just what you need
in order to speed the process. And be conscious of the items you are
carrying. Essentially, anything that has the potential to be used as a
weapon is not going to be allowed."

The Vineyard airport reopened on Sept. 13.

"Things are slowly returning to normal, at least at the
airports we are serving, Boston, New York and the regional ones.
Ridership on the past Sunday at our airport took a noticeable increase,
which was encouraging. People's attitudes are supportive of the
increased security measures," said Mr. Weibrecht.

The increase in security does mean a longer wait before flights.
"People have to understand it is not going to be the same as it
ever was," said Mr. Weibrecht.

Mr. Weibrecht said he is trying to seek other carriers to fill the
vacancy, but it is difficult since every airline is going through the
same hard times.

So when Oct. 15 does roll around, passengers will be faced with
delays. Mr. Weibrecht said, "Passengers traveling on from Boston
or Providence are going to have to leave themselves more time to make
the connections."

In addition, the old manner of arriving at the Vineyard airport five
minutes prior to flight takeoff has become a thing of the past.
Passengers are advised to arrive at the airport at least 45 minutes
before their scheduled departure time.

There are other visible changes at the airport. A heightened
security presence remains on the premises. There is no passenger pickup
parking along the terminal's front drive. The two closest parking
lots are closed indefinitely. Although there is plenty of short and
long-term parking available, the walk to the airport entrance is much
longer. The changes were implemented based on FAA recommendations. Mr.
Weibrecht said a concern for parking is the unpaved spots now in use,
especially with the approach of winter. Some paving may have to be done.

"For us, no more will it be check-in, go through screening,
get on board the airplane," said Mr. Weibrecht. "There will
be a whole time in the middle of that to allow us to handle the volume
of people who need to be security screened." New security methods
will bring structural changes within the building such as a waiting area
inside, not outside as it stands today. The security equipment will be
upgraded as well as the surrounding outside fences. These changes are
planned to be completed within 60 to 90 days.

Mr. Weibrecht said business at the airport during the months of July
and August was higher than past years. "We have had a good season
up to this point," said Mr. Weibrecht. Fuel sales, passenger
traffic and the total number of airplanes were all up. The increased
business has more than offset the airport's September decline, he
said.