The Associated Press | Posted: Wednesday, February 28, 2007 6:00 pm
SCOTTSBLUFF — The owner of Valley Airways said flights between Scottsbluff and Lincoln will start March 14 and cost $551.25 round-trip.
Dick Bosn held a press conference on Thursday, and said the “Scottsbluff-Capital Connection” will continue only if the community supports the flights.
“I have a break-even point of three passengers, and its only six-passenger airplane,” Bosn said. “This is not a welfare corporation. If I am losing money at this, I will quit doing it.”
The airline will offer three flights a week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, leaving Scottsbluff at 5:30 a.m and returning around 7 p.m. The flight will take about two hours, depending on the weather.
Bosn said one of his two Piper Navajo, six-passenger planes would be used for the flights to Lincoln while the second would be for charter flights.
The former so-called “River Run” flights were first implemented by GP Express, which received federal Essential Air Service moneys.
That service continued until Scottsbluff’s hub was changed from Lincoln to Denver in 1995, taking away federal money.
In June 2004, Westward Airways began daily service from Scottsbluff to North Platte, Lincoln and Omaha.
Those flights also were subsidized, but ended because of company financial problems just 13 months later.
Valley Airways has received some state financial assistance for startup costs, but no federal funds.