BY JEFF CHUDZINSKI
North Country This Week

OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority officials are considering adding a second airline to potentially offer direct flights to Florida. OBPA officials also say discussions may take place with Contour Airlines in the near future about a change in flight destinations.

Contour Airlines recently began offering services at Ogdensburg International Airport as a long awaited replacement for SkyWest, who pulled out of their contract prematurely earlier this year.

“As much as I’ve heard people saying that they’re thankful Contour is here, that direct flight to Florida is sorely missed by a lot of North Country people and I’m sure southern Ontario,” Board Chair Sam Burns told board members on July 14.

Officials agreed with Burns, who suggested the search should begin immediately for a secondary airline for such direct flights to Florida.

Carriers that may be considered would include Allegiant, Frontier and Spirit Airlines, who have a history of offering flights out of the North Country.

Frontier has recently put in a bid to purchase Spirit Airlines which has seemingly been agreed upon by the airlines, though the FAA still must approve the deal, officials say.

“They’re the big three or four but there have to be other ones out there,” Burns said.

Burns also said the OBPA must be proactive in their search to fill the void quickly.

To date, air travel and the number of Canadians crossing the border has risen steadily as COVID restrictions have been lifted over the last few months.

As of now, Contour currently offers 12 weekly flights to and from Ogdensburg from Philadelphia, Pa.

The flights are part of the Alternative Essential Air Service, which is heavily subsidizing the flights through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In total, the AEAS subsidy will account for $11,218,457 for the flights from July 1 of this year to Sept. 30, 2024.

One item of consideration is the extended flight range that Contour aircraft has, which is a result of a slightly lower passenger capacity compared to SkyWest.

The difference in flight sizes may allow the OBPA to re-negotiate with Contour to send flights to a hub further south.

According to Airport Manager Stephanie Saracco, the OBPA will not need approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to change the hub location for the Contour flights, however any added expenses would have to be paid for by the OBPA if it exceeds the subsidized amount from the AEAS.