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The idea of cutting Dodge City’s future growth, our regional airport, sickens me. I believe that with continual growth as we have seen steadily this year, as well as in the last nine years, that doing away with our air service would be a poor economic decision. The month of July alone saw over 400 passengers boarded. With all that we have going in Dodge City: United Wireless Arena, the upcoming 3I show, the Boothill Casino, and our rich western history.
With the removal of the use of our airport we would lose around $400,000 in salaries from individuals that work at the airport and their spouses. This would be due to many wanting to keep their job in this hard economic time and transferring. The city alone gets around $20,000 alone in rent from TSA and the airline for use of the airport. The City of Dodge City also receives a percent from all the fuel purchased for the aircraft that fuels up at the airport. This would be cut dramatically if we no longer have the Beechcraft 1900s that fly in and out on a daily basis. Numerous other businesses would be affected as well, rental cars, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. Numerous businesses, such as the hospital, Cargill, National beef and the casino fly in staff members regularly. Dodge City Days would be affected, as many people fly in for the events and rodeo participants also fly in and out. The hotel, where Great Lakes Airlines’ pilots stay, would lose approximately $30,000+. That is a lot of sales tax and business being encouraged directly from our airport in Dodge City.
People from Garden City and surrounding communities have stated that if they cannot fly to Denver from Garden City, they would drive to Dodge City if given the option. In a recent poll on the Garden City telegram, which was removed, it revealed that people would rather fly to Denver or travel to Wichita to fly out of the area rather than go to Dallas-Fort Worth. Some of those include doctors, as well as people just wanting to visit family spread throughout the U.S. People have written in to the Daily Globe stating that their lives would be changed if we did not have the Denver service, many of them would either have to give up their jobs or transfer and move away from the community where they have made their entire life. Garden City also asked Liberal to join in their idea of a mass regional airport which Liberal refused to join. If this is such a great idea for Garden City, why can they not come up with the funding themselves? If it is to be such a money maker, they should easily make that money back. What do we have to gain from this consolidation? I have yet to see where our community will get any of this money we invest into Garden’s airport back from the profit they make.
American Eagle has spread to many communities inlcuding Manhattan, Kansas, Grand Island, Neb. and Cheyenne, Wyo. — to name a few that come to mind. In two of these communities, American Eagle has had difficulties surviving. As a result, they began cutting flights and begging the City’s they are in for anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 more to help them manage. In Cheyenne, alone, they dropped to one flight a day. American Eagle promised Cheyenne that they would get the second flight back in time for the Frontier Days and they failed to follow through on their promise. American Eagle also has in their contract that they can give 120-day notice and pull out, which would leave Dodge City and Garden City without air service at all. Let Garden City do what Garden City wants to do, and let Dodge City continue to have our numerous flights to Denver and see who survives.
The Essential Air Service Funds (EAS) keeps being brought up. It was quoted that Dodge City could reapply for EAS if Garden City doesn’t work out. I am yet to find where any airport has got their EAS money back after giving it up. What happened to the Why Not Dodge attitude we have always had and preached? We do not want to see $900,000 a year given to Garden City that does not help Dodge City.
Garden City is having issues with growth that Dodge City is not seeing. Their Sam’s club, Wal-Mart and other businesses have laid off many employees. The recent census has shown that they have lost population, whereas Dodge City has grown. Let’s help Dodge City bring in more businesses and keep our current ones growing. Let’s keep our air service and our Denver flights.
The idea of cutting Dodge City’s future growth, our regional airport, sickens me. I believe that with continual growth as we have seen steadily this year, as well as in the last nine years, that doing away with our air service would be a poor economic decision. The month of July alone saw over 400 passengers boarded. With all that we have going in Dodge City: United Wireless Arena, the upcoming 3I show, the Boothill Casino, and our rich western history.
With the removal of the use of our airport we would lose around $400,000 in salaries from individuals that work at the airport and their spouses. This would be due to many wanting to keep their job in this hard economic time and transferring. The city alone gets around $20,000 alone in rent from TSA and the airline for use of the airport. The City of Dodge City also receives a percent from all the fuel purchased for the aircraft that fuels up at the airport. This would be cut dramatically if we no longer have the Beechcraft 1900s that fly in and out on a daily basis. Numerous other businesses would be affected as well, rental cars, restaurants, hotels and tourist attractions. Numerous businesses, such as the hospital, Cargill, National beef and the casino fly in staff members regularly. Dodge City Days would be affected, as many people fly in for the events and rodeo participants also fly in and out. The hotel, where Great Lakes Airlines’ pilots stay, would lose approximately $30,000+. That is a lot of sales tax and business being encouraged directly from our airport in Dodge City.
People from Garden City and surrounding communities have stated that if they cannot fly to Denver from Garden City, they would drive to Dodge City if given the option. In a recent poll on the Garden City telegram, which was removed, it revealed that people would rather fly to Denver or travel to Wichita to fly out of the area rather than go to Dallas-Fort Worth. Some of those include doctors, as well as people just wanting to visit family spread throughout the U.S. People have written in to the Daily Globe stating that their lives would be changed if we did not have the Denver service, many of them would either have to give up their jobs or transfer and move away from the community where they have made their entire life. Garden City also asked Liberal to join in their idea of a mass regional airport which Liberal refused to join. If this is such a great idea for Garden City, why can they not come up with the funding themselves? If it is to be such a money maker, they should easily make that money back. What do we have to gain from this consolidation? I have yet to see where our community will get any of this money we invest into Garden’s airport back from the profit they make.
American Eagle has spread to many communities inlcuding Manhattan, Kansas, Grand Island, Neb. and Cheyenne, Wyo. — to name a few that come to mind. In two of these communities, American Eagle has had difficulties surviving. As a result, they began cutting flights and begging the City’s they are in for anywhere from $200,000 to $400,000 more to help them manage. In Cheyenne, alone, they dropped to one flight a day. American Eagle promised Cheyenne that they would get the second flight back in time for the Frontier Days and they failed to follow through on their promise. American Eagle also has in their contract that they can give 120-day notice and pull out, which would leave Dodge City and Garden City without air service at all. Let Garden City do what Garden City wants to do, and let Dodge City continue to have our numerous flights to Denver and see who survives.
The Essential Air Service Funds (EAS) keeps being brought up. It was quoted that Dodge City could reapply for EAS if Garden City doesn’t work out. I am yet to find where any airport has got their EAS money back after giving it up. What happened to the Why Not Dodge attitude we have always had and preached? We do not want to see $900,000 a year given to Garden City that does not help Dodge City.
Garden City is having issues with growth that Dodge City is not seeing. Their Sam’s club, Wal-Mart and other businesses have laid off many employees. The recent census has shown that they have lost population, whereas Dodge City has grown. Let’s help Dodge City bring in more businesses and keep our current ones growing. Let’s keep our air service and our Denver flights.
