MAXWELTON (WVDN) – A new airline may be coming to the Greenbrier Valley Airport.
On Tuesday afternoon, June 21, members of the GVA Authority voted to recommend Contour Airlines to provide essential air service to airport.
That recommendation was sent to the U.S. Department of Transportation, who will then analyze all the options and the recommendation of our community, said Greenbrier Valley Airport (GVA) director Brian Belcher.
Should the DOT accept the authority’s recommendation, Contour Airlines will begin serving the Greenbrier Valley in January 2023.
Current carrier SkyWest will continue to serve the airport in the meantime, and Belcher wants to make clear to the community that there will be no interruption of service.
“If you are booked on SkyWest out of Greenbrier Valley Airport, you should be good through the end of the year. SkyWest will be here and will not leave until the day before Contour starts,” Belcher said.
Also, people can continue booking flights out of the GVA this year.
“People can still have confidence in booking tickets with SkyWest through the end of the year, and if you have a ticket, your trip should go as planned,” he said.
On March 10, 2022, SkyWest issued a notice of intent announcing its plans to terminate service at 29 smaller airports across the country, effective June 8, 2022. GVA was on that list.
SkyWest pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, and resulting staffing imbalances, as the reason for its decision to scale back on serving smaller community airports.
SkyWest continued to serve GVA past its June 8 deadline because it provides Essential Air Service to Lewisburg.
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Essential Air Service program guarantees that small communities such as the Greenbrier Valley receive certified air carrier service through federal subsidies paid to the airline, so SkyWest is required to provide service to the Greenbrier Valley until another airline begins flying in and out of GVA.
Currently, SkyWest offers daily flights to and from Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles airports. The regional carrier has asked to continue serving GVA, but Belcher said that despite their request to continue service, they never actually rescinded the March letter to stating their intent to leave.
Also, Belcher continued, SkyWest’s company seems to be more largely affected by the current pilot shortage than Contour Airlines is.
“Contour is in Beckley, and their on-time performance is very high,” said Belcher. “They seem to be in a better place with their pilots. It was a matter of can SkyWest maintain their contract through March 23, and the board did not have the confidence that they would have the pilots to fulfill the contract.”
Contour will be offering daily non-stop flights to Charlotte, said Belcher.
Charlotte is an American Airlines hub, and Contour has an agreement with American Airlines.
There will be several flights to Charlotte a day during the summer, said Belcher.
“Were a seasonal market,” he said. “So, there will be three to four flights a day in May through October. Also, Contour will be able to accommodate special events” with additional flights if needed.
“We like to have more flights available in the summer for tourism in general,” he said.
In December-February, Contour will offer one flight a day with the ability to add another flight if December holidays create a higher demand.
As for exactly when those daily flights to Charlotte will take place, Belcher isn’t sure yet.
“We don’t know what the flight schedule is yet. They will design the schedule to link to American Airlines.”
Belcher is excited about the opportunities the Charlotte connection offers.
“It gives us a southern route that we haven’t had before,” he said, noting that many Greenbrier resort passengers fly out of Florida, and many Greenbrier Valley residents tend to want to travel south as well.
Belcher said while Charlotte is a “great hub,” it may not be the only airport Contour connects to.
“There are discussions with Contour about other hubs such as Nashville or Philadelphia. They will look at the market when they start flying out of here,” he said.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.