Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 15, 1994 TAG: 9412150059
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SARAH HUNTLEY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke travel agents fielded phone calls about commuter airplane safety and, in some cases, rebooked anxious passengers onto jets Wednesday, one day after 15 people were killed in an American Eagle crash in Raleigh, N.C.
"We've taken quite a few calls from consumers looking to switch their future tickets from commuter to jet service," said Ted Moomaw, president of World Travel Service Inc. "It's not that unusual for someone to request jet service from the beginning, but we don't normally have folks who are already booked on commuter flights call back and ask for jet service, instead."
It's getting more difficult for jittery passengers to ignore the recent blitz about airline safety. Though it wasn't one of the ATR planes banned from flying during icy weather by the Federal Aviation Administration last week, Flight 3379 was the second American Eagle plane to go down in less than two months.
The industry is hunkering down for hard times, leaving some wondering how the Roanoke Regional Airport, with its heavy dependency on commuter service, will fare if consumers turn away from smaller planes. No ATR planes operate out of Roanoke, but 41 out of 51 flights departing daily from Roanoke are regional airlines.
"I would argue that the airways are safer than ever before because airlines are much more conscientious about their standards," Mac McCadden, sales manager for USAir, said, "but there is a fear that passengers may go to other cities to take advantage of jet service. We're going to do our hardest to keep them here."
The issue of commuter flights vs. jet service is never far from Mark Courtney's mind. Courtney, the airport's marketing director, is well aware that passengers often feel safer on larger planes.
"Some of the regional airlines have responded systemwide that they have noticed a decline in passenger numbers which they attribute to consumers' concerns about commuter flights," he said. But he pointed out that commuter airlines provide a valuable service.
"They are an important part of our fleet mix because they provide convenient and competitive flight" to destinations that jets don't service and when larger planes aren't available, he said.
Courtney also said the airport is unlikely to suffer much, despite the announcement Tuesday that American Eagle will close its Raleigh-Durham hub and pull its service out of Roanoke.
"I don't realistically see it as a great concern," he said. "We are large enough to provide 2,200 outbound seats each day and it doesn't matter whether they are provided by regional planes or jets."
Most passengers at the airport Wednesday afternoon seemed to share his take-it-all-in-stride attitude.
Harold and Susan Mason were downright jovial Wednesday as they looked out the window at the gray sky and the United Express commuter plane their 19-year-old son, Ethan, was boarding.
"It's not a very large plane, is it," Susan Mason said, chuckling. "I'm glad that he's flying United and not USAir, but I'm not really worried. My father was a pilot, so it doesn't bother me. Plus, I'm hoping the odds are in our favor."
The Botetourt County couple even maintained their good humor a few minutes later when their son, a Navy gunner's mate returning to San Diego after a 35-day leave, got off the plane with the other passengers and re-entered the airport. The flight's destination, Washington Dulles International Airport, was closed because of fog.
One traveler said he's been shaken by the recent crashes. "Yesterday and today, I started looking for potentially available jet service," said Bryan Collier, who estimated he flies about 10 times a month on business. "In the past, that hasn't been something I've paid any attention to."
But he was waiting to board the United Express Dulles flight.
"What can you do?" he said.
by CNB