BY JIMMY LAWTONNorth Country This Week

OGDENSBURG –  Flights to Chicago, Florida and Washington D.C. could be back on the menu in Ogdensburg, but that will depend on which airline is awarded the Essential Air Service subsidy.

Three airlines are vying to provide service at Ogdensburg International Airport through the federal Essential Air Service program and North Country residents have the chance to weigh in on the decision.

The airlines include Boutique Air with an  8-passenger aircraft, Contour Air with 30-passenger aircraft and Breeze Air with 137-passenger aircraft.  

All submitted proposals offering a variety of options that include trips to Chicago, Washington DC., Boston, Florida, Newark, Westchester, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Contour Air

Currently, air service to Ogdensburg is provided by Contour Air.

 The airline offers a 30-passenger jet with 12 weekly flights to Philadelphia, Penn. Their proposal would remain the same but with an average fare estimated at $75.

See full proposal here.

Breeze Airways

Breeze Airways would provide a 137-passenger jet and is offering two options.

The first would be daily flights from Washington D.C. to Ogdensburg and from Ogdensburg to Washington DC.

The second proposed schedule would be six weekly flights from Washington D.C. to Ogdensburg and six weekly flights from Ogdensburg to Washington D.C.

Additionally two weekly flights would be offered from Orlando, Fla. to Ogdensburg and two weekly flights from Ogdensburg to Orlando, Fla.

Breeze did not provide estimated fares in their proposal.

See full proposal here.

Boutique Air

Boutique Air's proposal is lengthier than the other two with a total of seven options. Boutique flights would offer an 8-passenger plane with a pressurized cabin.

Option 1 would include 28 weekly round trip flights from Ogdensburg to Washington D.C. in the offseason and 35 weekly round trips to DC in the peak season. The proposal also notes that Boutique Air reserves the right to move roughly half of those flights to Newark, New Jersey, or Westchester County. Fares are estimated at $99.

Option 2 would provide 21 weekly round trip flights to Newark or Westchester and seven round trip weekly flights to Chicago. Fares are estimated at $119.

Option 3 would provide 21 round trip weekly flights to Washington D.C. and 7 weekly roundtrip flights to Chicago. Fares are estimated at $129.

Option 4 would provide 14 weekly round trips to Washington D.C. and 14 weekly round trips to Pittsburgh, Penn. Fares are estimated at $99.

Option 5 would provide 28 weekly round trip flights to Boston, similar to what is currently offered at the Massena airport. Fares are estimated at $89.

Option 6 would provide 28 weekly round trips to Newark / Westchester.  Fares are estimated at $89.

See full proposal here.

What is Essential Air Service?

The Essential Air Service (EAS) Program is a federal subsidy for airlines to provide commercial air service to rural communities that would otherwise lack such connectivity due to market conditions. 

The EAS program was launched in 1978 following the deregulation of the airline industry, the EAS program ensures that these communities maintain a minimum level of scheduled air service to larger hub airports, thereby supporting economic development and accessibility. “The program is administered by the USDOT. 

Although the OBPA was once under the EAS program, currently the contract is through a similar but different program known as AEAS or Alternative Essential Air Service.

“AEAS was the only subsidy program available to OGS after SkyWest left in 2021 and we were able to secure Contour Airlines as our AEAS provider.  The Alternative Essential Air Service (AEAS) Program is a variation of the Essential Air Service (EAS) Program that offers more flexible options to meet the air service needs of small and rural communities,” Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority Executive Director Steve Lawrence explained in an email.“Unlike the traditional EAS, which primarily subsidizes scheduled commercial flights, AEAS allows communities to explore alternative approaches, such as regionalized air service solutions. This flexibility aims to modify transportation services more closely to the specific needs of the OGS Airport while still ensuring connectivity to larger hubs,” he said.

But now the OBPA will be returning to the traditional EAS program.

Although the final decision rests with the Department of Transportation, Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority and the community have the ability to influence that decision.

Those who would like to review the above proposals and submit comments can do so by sending their input to Michael Martin at the Department of Transportation  at Michael.F.Martin@dot.gov before June 19. Or by visiting here.