AV-to-Vegas flights await final signal

Stephen Hamile, Gateway Airlines vice president, said the company hopes to have two to three direct flights daily to Las Vegas. No one has been more surprised than Hamile that it has taken nearly six months to get this far.

"I know it is frustrating to some people, but the process is slower than we expected. What we found is we got involved too early, and we did, and people were expecting the next day it would happen," he said.

However, the wait appears to be almost over.

"What we would like to see is a Palmdale-to-Las Vegas direct flight and commuter flights to Burbank. We are looking at Las Vegas less as a destination and more as an access point to meet the demands of passengers going to other destinations," Hamile said.

The company, which primarily has transported cargo and set chartered flights in the Midwest and California, believes there is a market here not only for Las Vegas flights, but for commuter flights to Burbank.

Gateway is planning on an airfare of about $20 for the Burbank flights. Hamile said the company believes it can offer competitive prices because it also can transport cargo.

The airline has its sights set on expanding the number of flights leaving Palmdale Regional Airport.

"If the demand dictates, we could have a flight to Sacramento. It's all based on profitability. It is 100% based on demand and the support of the community," Hamile said.

The company also wants to capitalize on its successes in the past in moving cargo. Several factory outlet and manufacturers in the Antelope Valley have talked to the airline about transporting their products to Sacramento.

That could be a bonus for travelers, Hamile said, adding that moving cargo could make Sacramento cheaper for customers and make flights possible and profitable.

Gateway first became interested in the Antelope Valley when local travel agents asked for more information about Gateway's Air Tours, a separate division that sells travel packages, including wine-tasting tours, within the state.

Spot checks showed there was enough business in Palmdale for the airline to have a comfortable level of passengers, Hamile said.

But the process to begin commercial routes takes both time and patience, he said. The Department of Transportation in Washington, D.C., expects to complete its review of the company's application in less than a month.

Then, the Los Angeles Department of Airports must give the airline a nod and the Federal Aviation Administration must OK the plan before Gateway can complete market research for its proposed flights from Palmdale.

So far, response has been positive, Hamile said.

"The city of Palmdale and the Air Force and been extremely helpful. We had Pentagon approval in a few days. We are very excited," he said.

Pentagon approval was needed because Palmdale Regional Airport uses Air Force runways through a joint agreement.

The airline still hasn't decided what aircraft it will use, but the planes will come from within Gateway's current fleet.

"We don't know what equipment we will be using yet. We are looking at starting with a nineplace to 15-place aircraft," the vice president said.