Airport gains regional jet service to Memphis

In addition to construction on a $9.2 million expanded terminal to be finished next year, plans for a $29 million project to replace the main runway in 2002 and plans for a brand new terminal complex in 10 to 12 years, the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport will offer jet service to Memphis, Tenn. Beginning this summer through Express Airlines I, which does business as Northwest Airlink, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, a 50-seat Canadair regional jet will replace the 33-seat Saab turboprop plane currently providing service between Springfield and Memphis. This will reduce the trip's flight time from about 90 minutes to about an hour, according to Phil Reed, vice president of marketing for Northwest Airlink.

With top speeds reaching around 500 mph, the regional jets are more than twice as fast as the turboprops. Springfield will become the fourth marketplace in which Northwest Airlink will use the new jets.

"This has been a great year for Northwest Airlines. From our standpoint, this is a slam dunk ... Springfield is a very profitable marketplace," Reed said.

Reed said Northwest plans to introduce the new jets with two evening flights per day between the two cities July 17, then increase service.

The jet service is part of Northwest's nationwide expansion. In June the airline will add 90 new takeoffs and landings to its Memphis schedule, which is a 25 percent expansion in service and the largest single-service expansion in the company's history.

Springfield-Branson Regional Airport Director of Aviation Rob Hancik said the jet service primarily means more seats and more options for Springfield travelers, and its effect on airport funding for improvements such as the terminal expansion and runway replacement is a secondary issue.

"No. 1, it'll introduce more seats into the market. With the Northwest expansion in the Memphis market, it will provide 81 connections to other cities, including some international destinations," Hancik said. "Two, I think it will solve an issue that some of our travelers have; that some of them really don't like to fly on the prop planes."

He added that Northwest plans to keep its fares competitive, which is another reason he thinks the jet service will result in more travelers flying out of Springfield to Memphis to catch connecting flights rather than driving to St. Louis or Kansas City.

"Jet service into Memphis makes Memphis a much more attractive connecting hub," Hancik said.

Hancik said Northwest's jet service is further evidence that the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport is no longer a small community airport, which he said is an important factor to business travelers and especially to companies considering a location in the Springfield area.

"When you look at our marketplace, we have all the bases covered except for a connection to Delta Airlines," Hancik said.

The airport has seven airline carriers. As of July 24, American Eagle and U.S. Airways will be the only carriers that don't provide jet service. Hancik said American Eagle may be the next to bring in regional jets.

"I would suspect, as American Eagle continues to make delivery of its stable of regional jets, that eventually we'll see some of those turboprops replaced (with jets)," Hancik said. "The regional jets afford the airline (the ability) to provide more frequent service with equipment that has been more readily accepted by the traveler."