Cape Air Wins EAS Contract for NY's North Country

[Matt Molnar]

For just under four million of our tax dollars a year, residents of extreme northern New York will soon have the privilege of jetsetting (propsetting?) back and forth to Albany for a cool $60 each way.

In a deal announced yesterday, Cape Air will provide 21 flights a week connecting the Canada border towns of Watertown, Ogdensberg and Massena with Albany aboard 9-seater Cessna 402 aircraft. The Federal Essential Air Service program guarantees Cape Air a check for $3,879,863 annually for providing the service.

A competing bid from Gulfstream International Airlines would have linked Watertown with Albany and Cleveland using larger Beech 1900s, but was rejected because it would not have served the other two airports further to the north.

Cape Air already serves two other airports in northern New York via EAS, with daily flights from Boston to Plattsburgh and Saranac Lake.

[hiss srq]

Enjoy that winter time flying in a 402 without boots! I will pass on that!

[cancidas]

good! does cape air have any codeshare agreements with any of the majors?

[Mateo]

The 402 isn't certified for flight into known icing? How on earth do they expect to run the Rooftop between say, September and June?

[h2opunk1822]

if i remember correctly.. cape air has codesharing with b6!!!

[HPNPilot1200]

Enjoy that winter time flying in a 402 without boots! I will pass on that!

Most of the KAP C402C's (with the exception of the special schemed aircraft) are equipped with boots.

[Matt Molnar]

good! does cape air have any codeshare agreements with any of the majors?

Cape Air has codeshares with B6 for service to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Rutland, VT (ski area), as well as with Continental in Florida, the Caribbean and Micronesia. They are the country's largest independent regional carrier, carrying over 650,000 passengers on their 50 Cessnas last year.

[stuart schechter]

I have a friend that flies the 402's out of MVY after he got furloughed from expressjet after 9/11. I'll see if he is going to end up flying any of these.

[hiss srq]

Enjoy that winter time flying in a 402 without boots! I will pass on that!

Most of the KAP C402C's (with the exception of the special schemed aircraft) are equipped with boots.

Not the ones in Florida.

[HPNPilot1200]

[quote=hiss srq]

Enjoy that winter time flying in a 402 without boots! I will pass on that!

Most of the KAP C402C's (with the exception of the special schemed aircraft) are equipped with boots.

Not the ones in Florida.[/quote:98814]

Exactly, they fly the aircraft without boots in Florida for obvious operational reasons.

[Ari707]

was the show Wings based on them????

[moose135]

They are the country's largest independent regional carrier, carrying over 650,000 passengers on their 50 Cessnas last year.

Is that right? Are they are all 9-seat C402s? If so, that means every plane flew full (9pax), 4 times every day, all 365 days of the year, without MX, WX, or any other issues. That sounds like quite a load and utilization rate.

[Matt Molnar]

Would a company with a bunch of cushy federal subsidies ever lie? :D

On Wikipedia it says they operate two 46-passenger ATR-42s for their Micronesia/Continental Connection service, but they don't mention them on their own site.

[HPNPilot1200]

Would a company with a bunch of cushy federal subsidies ever lie? :D

On Wikipedia it says they operate two 46-passenger ATR-42s for their Micronesia/Continental Connection service, but they don't mention them on their own site.

They do have a few ATR-42's which are in Guam based (and so are the ATR-42 crews).