Barkley officials explain decision to go with Contour Aviation

The Barkley Regional Airport Advisory Board recently voted for Contour Aviation to become Paducah's next air service provider.

The caveat to choosing Contour is that flights out of Barkley Regional Airport will be now be round trip to Charlotte. Previous flights out of Paducah using SkyWest Airlines were to and from Chicago.

The change is due to the fact that in March, SkyWest notified the FAA that it would discontinue service to 29 small airports around the nation, which included Barkley Regional Airport.

Following that decision the Department of Transportation issued a request for proposals. The request for proposals for Barkley Regional Airport was to provide replacement essential air services.

When talking to Greg Dunker on the Greg Dunker Show on Thursday, Barkley officials said they reviewed three proposals. One was from Contour Airlines out of Smyrna, TN, another from Southern Airways Express and another from Boutique Airlines.

Both Southern Airways and Boutique planned to fly to Nashville, however, one key difference and reason Barkley officials say those chose Contour--they proposed to continue to use jet services where the other two airlines would be small propeller planes. 

Jay Matheny, Chairman of the Board at Barkley Regional Airport, explained the decision. 

"The one thing I would tell people is if we had gone with Southern Airways or Boutique Airlines, the problem is you would have been on (small) propeller planes to Nashville," Matheny said. "And one of the hallmarks of essential air service is the Department of Transportation says that as a base line requirement you are entitled to jet service. So we looked at Contour and said if that is an option we are not sacrificing our right to jet service under the essential air service program and I think people have become accustomed to flying out of Paducah on a jet airplane."

As for flying to Charlotte, Matheny said that was also an appealing part in choosing Contour.

"One of the things that also looked appealing about Contour is we are flying from Barkley Regional Airport to a southern destination and not just a southern destination, but a southern destination that serves as a hub for American Airlines,"  Matheny said. "That really stood out to the board when we were evaluating these proposals."

Another benefit with Contour is they plan to keep one of their mechanics in Paducah in order to quickly solve any technical issues with the plane. Should there be an issue that causes a larger delay, Contour will have an aircraft on standby in Smyrna they will be able to dispatch if needed. 

To listen to the full interview click here.