FlyingElvii wrote:

[
Rumor has it there is a solution coming for the AA ticketing issues, but there are other priorities at the moment. Using SABRE is EXPENSIVE, especially at LF’s low volumes, and probably won’t be the final solution.

That would be amazing!

The only way a passenger can get anything linked up is by purchasing directly on AA's website. Even then, I doubt they would allow a free bag, it's not going to allow us to earn miles on AA or recognize our status.

It would be HUGE if we could actually book and control it all under AA.

Right now, when we book with AA, we are still given TWO PNR's. AA won't let us check in online when Contour or Cape Air is the starting airline.

I deal with this right now on Cape Air MWA-STL, and that's with a Codeshare. I booked it all directly on AA. Yet it won't let me check in online for the first portion.

Passengers are getting excited here in Paducah thinking that it's "American Airlines" and it's not. They cannot go to AA.com and book PAH-CLT on it's own, and if AA could fix that, that would be so much better.

I am not upset about getting Contour, I am upset about losing the "Major Airline" Connection Opportunity with Code sharing.

Alex

DOT has now also approved Contour Airlines for EAS Service to replace SkyWest at Staunton, VA-SHD.

Contour will begin November 1st, for a 3 Year Contract with 12 Weekly Flights to CLT.

DOT: https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOT-O ... ment_1.pdf

Alex

atrude777 wrote:

FlyingElvii wrote:

[
Rumor has it there is a solution coming for the AA ticketing issues, but there are other priorities at the moment. Using SABRE is EXPENSIVE, especially at LF’s low volumes, and probably won’t be the final solution.

That would be amazing!

The only way a passenger can get anything linked up is by purchasing directly on AA's website. Even then, I doubt they would allow a free bag, it's not going to allow us to earn miles on AA or recognize our status.

It would be HUGE if we could actually book and control it all under AA.

Right now, when we book with AA, we are still given TWO PNR's. AA won't let us check in online when Contour or Cape Air is the starting airline.

I deal with this right now on Cape Air MWA-STL, and that's with a Codeshare. I booked it all directly on AA. Yet it won't let me check in online for the first portion.

Passengers are getting excited here in Paducah thinking that it's "American Airlines" and it's not. They cannot go to AA.com and book PAH-CLT on it's own, and if AA could fix that, that would be so much better.

I am not upset about getting Contour, I am upset about losing the "Major Airline" Connection Opportunity with Code sharing.

Alex

If Contour is the carrier operating the first leg, then you need to check in on the Contour site and it will generate the Contour and AA boarding passes. AA.com will only work when AA is the initial carrier in the connection being checked in.

ilive4planes wrote:

IND’s contract with Contour hasn’t been renewed yet Flights are not in the schedule for September?

Looks that way. Your post made me check again. Nothing loaded after September for BNA-IND/GSP, the last at-risk routes.

FlyingElvii wrote:

Rumor has it there is a solution coming for the AA ticketing issues, but there are other priorities at the moment. Using SABRE is EXPENSIVE, especially at LF’s low volumes, and probably won’t be the final solution.
...
Again, rumors say they intend to bring in a new operations and scheduling software. FOS/Collins is designed for small operators doing charter, and just can’t handle a big operation.

Still in the rumor phase, but all great news and very timely. Thank you for sharing! I literally just hung up with AA's reservations desk where I had to enlist their help to straighten out an upcoming interline reservation that includes LF. The agent asked me who they were! I told her she's probably about to see a lot more of them.

The contract for Fort Leonard Wood has been published.

12x weekly to BNA on the usual 30-seat ERJ135 will start October 1.

It's EAS with a waiver rather than AEAS, like the other recent ex-Skywest markets Contour has won.

https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-1996-1167-0170

The contract for Clarksburg is out.

3-year contract starting November 1. 12x weekly to CLT on ERJ135.

EAS with a waiver rather than AEAS, like other similar recent awards to Contour.

https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-2005-20736-0184

sunking737 wrote:

I'd like to see the route map with all the added city and routes....

I was trying to load the picture but gave up tearing my hair out. Here's a link to the map on Great Circle Mapper instead.

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=OAK-CEC%2CPHX-PGA%2CDFW-GLH-BNA%2CTUP-BNA%2CCGI-BNA%2CTBN-BNA%2CMCN-BWI%2CMSL-CLT%2CPKB-BKW-CLT%2CPAH-CLT%2CSHD-CLT%2CLWB-CLT%2CCKB-CLT%2CAOO-PHL%2COGS-PHL%2CPBG-PHL&MS=wls&DU=mi

Couple of caveats:
- CGI not yet confirmed by DOT but Contour have the recommendation
- there is a question mark whether GLH-BNA will continue; there are rumours they may consolidate at DFW
- at-risk routes (BNA-IND/GSP) not included; these may end in the fall anyway

Well it looks like BNA-IND/GSP will be sticking around after all. The schedule has now been extended until mid-April (these flights weren't bookable past end of September until recently).

What CLT gates will Contour be using?

How have the GSP to BNA and BNA to GSP flights been going ? Are they going out Full ?

sunking737 wrote:

Thanks, Looks like a real airline. Except the two old ball routes out west

Those used to be somewhat connected with at-risk flying before covid. Some days. an aircraft operated CEC-OAK-SBA-LAS-PGA-PHX, and return. One ran SMF-SBA-OAK-CEC (I routed my sister-in-law on that one once, except CEC fogged in and the flight diverted to MFR. Busssed back. The return did work out at least.) SMF-PSP. SBP was in the mix too.

CEC-OAK has had a rough summer, between crew and/or aircraft issues plus CEC fog increased due to the inland heat waves It was better when OAK as a bigger base.

Wingtips56 wrote:

sunking737 wrote:

Thanks, Looks like a real airline. Except the two old ball routes out west

Those used to be somewhat connected with at-risk flying before covid. Some days. an aircraft operated CEC-OAK-SBA-LAS-PGA-PHX, and return. One ran SMF-SBA-OAK-CEC (I routed my sister-in-law on that one once, except CEC fogged in and the flight diverted to MFR. Busssed back. The return did work out at least.) SMF-PSP. SBP was in the mix too.

CEC-OAK has had a rough summer, between crew and/or aircraft issues plus CEC fog increased due to the inland heat waves It was better when OAK as a bigger base.

CEC is and always will be a weird place, weather-wise. Water on three sides on a spit out into the sea into a cold North Pacific current. It can be less than a mile vis and 300 ceiling, like today’s metar shows, and CAVU another half mile inland. Arcata can be affected the same way, but burns off earlier in the day due to the geography.

Field elevation at ACV is 222 feet, while CEC is just 61 feet. It does make a difference.

Wingtips56 wrote:

sunking737 wrote:

Thanks, Looks like a real airline. Except the two old ball routes out west

Those used to be somewhat connected with at-risk flying before covid. Some days. an aircraft operated CEC-OAK-SBA-LAS-PGA-PHX, and return. One ran SMF-SBA-OAK-CEC (I routed my sister-in-law on that one once, except CEC fogged in and the flight diverted to MFR. Busssed back. The return did work out at least.) SMF-PSP. SBP was in the mix too.

CEC-OAK has had a rough summer, between crew and/or aircraft issues plus CEC fog increased due to the inland heat waves It was better when OAK as a bigger base.

Indeed. Those Western routes were the heart of the network pre-Covid. They did quite a bit of intra-California flying, mostly from their mini-hub at SBA, as well as the odd route to LAS. PGA had flights to both PHX and LAS back then. There have been persistent rumours the LAS flights could return. We'll see.

The few Eastern routes were the odd ones out back then! How things change.

Wingtips56 wrote:

sunking737 wrote:

Thanks, Looks like a real airline. Except the two old ball routes out west

Those used to be somewhat connected with at-risk flying before covid. Some days. an aircraft operated CEC-OAK-SBA-LAS-PGA-PHX, and return. One ran SMF-SBA-OAK-CEC (I routed my sister-in-law on that one once, except CEC fogged in and the flight diverted to MFR. Busssed back. The return did work out at least.) SMF-PSP. SBP was in the mix too.

CEC-OAK has had a rough summer, between crew and/or aircraft issues plus CEC fog increased due to the inland heat waves It was better when OAK as a bigger base.

That had me looking back. The network back in March 2020 looked something like that:

http://www.gcmap.com/mapui?P=BNA-TUP%2C ... =wls&DU=mi

DOT has awarded CGI, Contour Airlines to take over SkyWest Airlines beginning October 1st.

DOT: https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOT-O ... ment_1.pdf

By this Order, the U.S. Department of Transportation (Department) (1) grants the community of
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a waiver from the requirement in 49 U.S.C. § 41732(a) that basic
Essential Air Service (EAS) is scheduled air transportation, and (2) selects Corporate Flight
Management, Inc. d/b/a Contour Airlines (Contour) to provide EAS, as public charter flights in
accordance with 14 CFR Part 380, at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the three-year contract term
from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2025.

The contract is for 12 Weekly to Nashville, TN (BNA)

Alex

atrude777 wrote:

DOT has awarded CGI, Contour Airlines to take over SkyWest Airlines beginning October 1st.

DOT: https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOT-O ... ment_1.pdf

By this Order, the U.S. Department of Transportation (Department) (1) grants the community of
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a waiver from the requirement in 49 U.S.C. § 41732(a) that basic
Essential Air Service (EAS) is scheduled air transportation, and (2) selects Corporate Flight
Management, Inc. d/b/a Contour Airlines (Contour) to provide EAS, as public charter flights in
accordance with 14 CFR Part 380, at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the three-year contract term
from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2025.

The contract is for 12 Weekly to Nashville, TN (BNA)

Alex

I don't think they will since they are further from DFW (and closer to BNA), BUT it would be interesting if they ended up splitting BNA/DFW like they are for TBN.

Jshank83 wrote:

atrude777 wrote:

DOT has awarded CGI, Contour Airlines to take over SkyWest Airlines beginning October 1st.

DOT: https://downloads.regulations.gov/DOT-O ... ment_1.pdf

By this Order, the U.S. Department of Transportation (Department) (1) grants the community of
Cape Girardeau, Missouri, a waiver from the requirement in 49 U.S.C. § 41732(a) that basic
Essential Air Service (EAS) is scheduled air transportation, and (2) selects Corporate Flight
Management, Inc. d/b/a Contour Airlines (Contour) to provide EAS, as public charter flights in
accordance with 14 CFR Part 380, at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, for the three-year contract term
from October 1, 2022, through September 30, 2025.

The contract is for 12 Weekly to Nashville, TN (BNA)

Alex

I don't think they will since they are further from DFW (and closer to BNA), BUT it would be interesting if they ended up splitting BNA/DFW like they are for TBN.

Different dynamics as well, I feel. At TBN, Contour is a known quantity, and the airport was very decisive during the bidding process, while CGI demurred and even needed a second vote. I can see why TBN would get preferential treatment. If Contour plays their cards right there, it's a keeper. Things at CGI are a bit more up in the air.

Would not be at all surprised if PAH doesn’t get a DFW turn as well.

The wild card seems to be CGI. They could easily tag that on to TBN to DFW and BNA.

tichydev wrote:

MO11 wrote:

Contour acquired two ERJ-140s, N800AE and N801AE on Tuesday.

Hearing there’s plenty more 140s where that came from. Once again there will be a carrier operating all 3 sizes of the ERJ!

Great to see them bringing their service to solid AA hubs but still giving BNA some deserved attention.

Lots more unsubsidized flying opportunities out of BNA and they still have 14 solid connections on AA in addition to the soon to be 7 markets they’ll serve. I wouldn’t be surprised if they don’t take another stab at seasonal service to BKG(BBG) from BNA and maybe CLT or DFW. CFM flew there under various brands for many years. Contour and the AA interline could give those routes critical mass to keep going. Otherwise, some gulf coast markets would provide nice connectivity to destinations popular in the mid south.

Without a doubt DFW has potential as well. Im surprised they haven't gone for any southwestern markets connecting DFW to PHX in this round.

Philly presents opportunities for them to utilize the short field capabilities of the 135/140 with only 30 seats. They could look into returning to old USAir turboprop markets. While HVN would be great, they may be a little full with Avelo, GON could possibly support PHL service again with backing from the Coast Guard, Navy, Electric Boat and Pfizer. HYA could do well seasonally. Plenty of EAS contracts to pick up for PHL and maybe bolster BWI a bit. Maybe pick up the seasonal contract for BHB? While the terrain may pose a challenge, RUT and LEB would be interesting EAS bids as well.

As for Charlotte they could follow the Via/Elite strategy and try smaller Florida markets like UST, VRB and MTH that currently have no service or no connection to the AA network.

Thinking big here but apparently so is LF!

When US had the Beech 1900's on the route, ridership was very low.

Contour announced the starting date for Clarksburg and Lewisburg Airports to CLT.

Source: https://www.wboy.com/news/harrison/star ... g-airport/

Clarksburg: December 1st

Lewisburg: November 1st.

Now, Contour Airlines has officially been named the newest airline for both North Central West Virginia Airport (CKB) in Bridgeport and Greenbrier Valley Airport (LWB) in Lewisburg. Flights from Clarksburg will begin Dec. 1, 2022, and flights from Lewisburg will begin Nov. 1. The airline will be on a three-year term with both airports, according to the release.

Alex

Short piece on the new EAS routes launching in the coming weeks/months. Nothing groundbreaking there. More interesting is the news they're expecting another 10 E145s to come on property.

https://www.routesonline.com/news/29/breaking-news/298683/contour-airlines-wins-us-subsidies-for-regional-routes/

Did Contour have a meltdown last week? Looking at flightaware this weekend, it seems that several of the T, W, Th flights did not operate in several places across the system?

No, but CEC was below minimums pretty much every day last week and that route had several rolling delays/cancellations waiting for the weather to come up. I don’t see any other cancellations last week and on time performance each day was above 90%.

Contour has bid at MSS (Boutique has given notice).

https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-2012-0163-0081

Proposal is for 12x weekly, all to PHL, or alternatively up to 6x weekly to BWI and the balance to PHL, depending on the community's wishes.

The other bidders are Boutique again, Southern Airways Express, and Air Charter Express.

Considering all these fly turboprops, Contour has a very good chance to add another EAS market here.

sonnyr23 wrote:

How have the GSP to BNA and BNA to GSP flights been going ? Are they going out Full ?

It’s been cut from 5X a week down to 2X a week. They have the lowest passenger fill rates out of any airline at GSP at 65.5%.

BangersAndMash wrote:

Contour has bid at MSS (Boutique has given notice).

https://www.regulations.gov/document/DOT-OST-2012-0163-0081

Proposal is for 12x weekly, all to PHL, or alternatively up to 6x weekly to BWI and the balance to PHL, depending on the community's wishes.

The other bidders are Boutique again, Southern Airways Express, and Air Charter Express.

Considering all these fly turboprops, Contour has a very good chance to add another EAS market here.

Hopefully the airport is able to handle the ERJ -- that was Skywest's screw up when they won the award to operate CRJ's to IAD/ORD and then realized their error. If I recall correctly MSS preferred BOS as their hub at the time anyway, but we shall see what they say.

Nice little piece from James Madison University. Good to see prominent local players supporting the new Contour service at SHD. JMU students and staff are going to be a key demographic.

https://www.jmu.edu/news/2022/11/01-contour-welcome-shd.shtml

Contour picked up one, perhaps two of the ex-ExpressJet/aha! planes.

N843HK was ferried to MQY on 10/11, and began what I assume were test flights on 12//3, and now looks like its flying the newly launched CLT-PAH route.

N839HK was ferried to MQY on 10/18. Has moved since. I am assuming Contour picked it up as well since it's in MQY.

The other two aha! planes N844HK and N846HK are stored at MZJ.

Lilj4425 wrote:

sonnyr23 wrote:

How have the GSP to BNA and BNA to GSP flights been going ? Are they going out Full ?

It’s been cut from 5X a week down to 2X a week. They have the lowest passenger fill rates out of any airline at GSP at 65.5%.

Contour is dropping BNA-IND/GSP. Hopefully WN will move their GSP-ATL to BNA to pick up the slack.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221208-lfjan23bna

GSP psgr wrote:

Lilj4425 wrote:

sonnyr23 wrote:

How have the GSP to BNA and BNA to GSP flights been going ? Are they going out Full ?

It’s been cut from 5X a week down to 2X a week. They have the lowest passenger fill rates out of any airline at GSP at 65.5%.

Contour is dropping BNA-IND/GSP. Hopefully WN will move their GSP-ATL to BNA to pick up the slack.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221208-lfjan23bna

I would wait for some official confirmation on that. Contour have a habit of running it very close to the end before extending their schedule.

Not sure what prompted this, but they are using a privately configured Legacy out of PHL on EAS Routes, I confirmed with friends who work ramp at PHL it still has a custom interior.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N611BV

BangersAndMash wrote:

GSP psgr wrote:

Lilj4425 wrote:

It’s been cut from 5X a week down to 2X a week. They have the lowest passenger fill rates out of any airline at GSP at 65.5%.

Contour is dropping BNA-IND/GSP. Hopefully WN will move their GSP-ATL to BNA to pick up the slack.

https://www.aeroroutes.com/eng/221208-lfjan23bna

I would wait for some official confirmation on that. Contour have a habit of running it very close to the end before extending their schedule.

GSP confirms that Contour is leaving.

73790 wrote:

Not sure what prompted this, but they are using a privately configured Legacy out of PHL on EAS Routes, I confirmed with friends who work ramp at PHL it still has a custom interior.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N611BV

I seem to remember JSX has a Legacy and has subbed it in for flights according to a YouTube review I’ve seen. I know Contour has an active charter business so maybe this was a subbed aircraft due to maintenance or something.

Amazed they lasted as long as this at GSP. Highly doubt anyone will try this route again.

73790 wrote:

Not sure what prompted this, but they are using a privately configured Legacy out of PHL on EAS Routes, I confirmed with friends who work ramp at PHL it still has a custom interior.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N611BV

It is probably covering maintenance or crew shortage. It has sat in White Plains for several days, so it would be an easy replacement, since crews tend to be assigned to the charter aircraft for 7-10 days at a time.

13 seats, IIRC, so it could work easily for off-peak Ogdensburg.

Unfortunate about GSP but it’s not a big surprise. When Southwest launched GSP over a decade ago GSP-BNA was one of the first routes dropped. I don’t think it lasted a year then.

Northwest1988 wrote:

Unfortunate about GSP but it’s not a big surprise. When Southwest launched GSP over a decade ago GSP-BNA was one of the first routes dropped. I don’t think it lasted a year then.

Three years. Half the traffic was O&D, and WN moved the connecting traffic to MDW and BWI at first, then ATL only.

Wow…..
Contour had a bit of a meltdown today. 12 flights canceled per Flightaware, including both Macon rt’s.
https://flightaware.com/live/fleet/VTE/cancelled

Weather?
Or crew shortage?

Update:
This looks like weather….
Macon was at or below minimums all day, TBN and OGS as well.

Got an email from Ailevon Pacific that Contour had cancelled 11 EAS Markets from April 16th onward.

It is clearly a glitch but wonder how it happened!

I went to the Contour Website, and it affected CGI-BNA, but PAH-CLT is still selling.

Hope it gets fixed soon!

Alex

It’s not a glitch, the schedule extension is being released in phases. All CLT markets are now out through October 2023, as well as MCN, PGA, and CEC. PHL and BNA/DFW markets will be out this week.

I'd like to see Contour come to MDT and/or LNS with flights to PIT. MDT and LNS haven't seen scheduled service to PIT since Southern Airways Express and USAir Express before that. The only way now to get to PIT is either by Amtrak or Megabus, which can take several hours. I still hear people in the Harrisburg and Lancaster areas wish for air service to come back to PIT, so I think the route should be viable.

jikei wrote:

Contour picked up one, perhaps two of the ex-ExpressJet/aha! planes.

N843HK was ferried to MQY on 10/11, and began what I assume were test flights on 12//3, and now looks like its flying the newly launched CLT-PAH route.

N839HK was ferried to MQY on 10/18. Has moved since. I am assuming Contour picked it up as well since it's in MQY.

The other two aha! planes N844HK and N846HK are stored at MZJ.

N843HK is named "Pride of Paducah" and it indeed will try to fly the Paducah route when it operationally can.

Here is a link to the clip of it in a video...

https://www.kfvs12.com/2022/12/06/inaug ... otte-tues/

Alex

SaabFA71 wrote:

I'd like to see Contour come to MDT and/or LNS with flights to PIT. MDT and LNS haven't seen scheduled service to PIT since Southern Airways Express and USAir Express before that. The only way now to get to PIT is either by Amtrak or Megabus, which can take several hours. I still hear people in the Harrisburg and Lancaster areas wish for air service to come back to PIT, so I think the route should be viable.

Southern Airways Express currently flies LNS to PIT twice a day Monday through Friday and once daily on Saturday and Sundays as part of their EAS contract at Lancaster. LNS is also a maintenance base for 9X. 9X briefly flew MDT to PIT at risk for a few months beginning in October of 2016. I can't seem to remember when the flights ended, but I don't think they lasted past May 2017. I went back and checked MDT's stats and 9X stops showing up in their June 2017 spreadsheets. 9X's best month on the route was November 2016. 188 total passengers flew MDT-PIT/PIT-MDT during November 2016. From what I remember, their tenure at MDT was rocky with operational/staffing issues and weather cancelations, which affected their reliability. Those reliability issues, along with most of the flying public's aversion of flying in a small single engine plane, meant the route never had a chance to succeed. There probably was a small market for MDT-PIT pre-Covid, and Contour with their 30 seat ERJ135s was probably the best fit especially since they were already planning to fly PIT-IND/MKE (which they briefly did). With that being said, the issue is the economic landscape in commercial aviation has shifted so much since 2019 that a potentially marginal route pairing like MDT-PIT on a 30-50 seat RJ in 2022/2023 is not going to happen. There are simply not enough pilots and the cost of operating 30-50 seat RJs on nonsubsidized routes makes financial success in this current climate challenging to say the least. Additionally, it was announced within the last few days that Contour is going to end, I believe, their last two at risk routes (GSP/IND-BNA) in January 2023. Which unless Contour is doing some at risk flying out west, all of their remaining routes will be subsidized through the AEAS program. Needless to say, I don't think we are going to see Contour flying MDT-PIT anytime soon. Perhaps when LNS's EAS contract is up in a few years, Contour will make a bid for it through the AEAS program. Personally, I don't think LNS deserves to be included in either program, but that's a discussion for a different time and place

Please continue in the 2023 edition below:
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