United leaves passengers grounded

Alanna Cook, station manager of United Express, said passengers are frustrated that air service from Palmdale to Los Angeles will end Wednesday when the last United Express plane noses south at 4:25 p.m. to LAX.

United Express is the only airline serving the Antelope Valley.

"Passengers are upset," Cook said. "A lot of people have depended on this airport. Four or five times a day I get asked if there's anybody new coming in to provide service. If there is, we haven't heard about it. There's just a lot of disappointment."

Among the disappointed is Diane Bliel of Denver, who caught a United Express flight from Palmdale to Los Angeles Thursday afternoon on her way to Phoenix.

"I hate to see it go," she said as her twin-prop, 19-passenger plane rolled up. "This place is cute, clean and serviceable."

Bliel, one of four passengers on the Palmdale to L.A. flight, said she used Palmdale Regional Airport several times while representing a Denver software company. Its clients include aerospace and defense industry companies in the Antelope Valley.

She loathes the idea of driving from Los Angeles to service her Antelope Valley clients, which is what she'll have to do now.

"I've never done it, but I hear it's terrible," she said of the drive from Los Angeles International Airport to Palmdale. "This may mean I see my clients less."

Cutback victim

Flights out of Palmdale will end Wednesday because WestAir, a New Mexico-based subsidiary of Mesa Air, lost its contract to connect smaller airports in the western United States to larger hubs throughout California and other western states. As of June 1, SkyWest Airlines of St. George, Utah, will have the United contracts.

The news came last October, when United opted to let Mesa Air's contract renewal deadline pass. The contract runs out at the end of May. It is unclear why Palmdale service will end a week and a day early.

SkyWest dropped four routes with low ridership. Palmdale is one. There are two more in Washington state and one in northern Idaho.

No success

Jack Driscoll, director of Los Angeles World Airports, was reportedly working to line up another service provider for the airport. His staff had even expressed hope for a seamless transition from one carrier to another, if one could be found.

Efforts have been unsuccessful.

Calls to Driscoll's office were not returned last week.

Steven Hart, vice president of market development for SkyWest, said he hasn't heard personally from Los Angeles World Airports concerning restoration of service at Palmdale. He is the one at SkyWest who would have to make such a decision, he said.

"Ridership figures are soft for Palmdale, and that's with a 19passenger plane," Hart said. "Considering we have no planes smaller than 30-passengers, that would result in really soft ridership. The numbers simply are not there at this time."

But when they are, he said, SkyWest will be happy to return.

"The strongest barometer of vitality is the economy," he said. "When it rebounds, we can restore service, and we will."

Staff departures

WestAir's loss of the United contract will mean some career moves for the United Express workers who staff the Palmdale station.

Five agents and Cook will work until Wednesday, then they will go their separate ways.

Cook, who is usually at the Modesto airport, will move to Santa Rosa to work for SkyWest. Two of the employees are considering moving to other small airports in California, also to work for SkyWest. One has accepted a job as a travel agent with Uniglobe Affordable Travel in Lancaster. A couple of others haven't decided what they'll do, Cook said.

Cook said ridership dropped when people found out United Express was leaving, but numbers were up recently. People seem to be taking advantage of what may be their last chance to fly out of Palmdale, she said.

Price issues

During the last days of service, the price for a round-trip ticket from Palmdale to Los Angeles International was $189. But if passengers are continuing from Los Angeles to another United Airlines connecting flight, the Palmdale leg of the trip can be as low as $5 each way.

United Express is refunding the cost of the Los Angeles to Palmdale trip for people coming home after Wednesday. In some cases, Cook said, the refund is only $5.

It's a loss of convenience fliers lament most, Cook said. People who fly out of Palmdale have become accustomed to free parking and little driving.

"This is a really nice terminal," Cook said. "I'm sad to see it close. I'm sure someone will be back. Hopefully sooner than later."

Prefers LAX

Not everyone laments the passing of Palmdale Regional Airport's passenger service. Dan Hinton of Baltimore makes frequent trips to the Antelope Valley to work on airplane projects at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base.

"My secretary made a mistake," he said, standing outside the terminal Thursday, waiting for a rental car. "I told her I was going to Palmdale through Los Angeles, and she booked me all the way through."

Hinton said he usually flies into Los Angles International and drives to Dryden, which gives him many options of when to go home. Palmdale, on the other hand, has four departing flights a day and all going to the same place.

"It wasn't a bad flight," he said of his quick trip over the mountains. "And this airport seems to be nice. But LAX is so close, I think people prefer to fly in there."

Palmdale ticket and flight information can be obtained by calling the United Express counter at 273-5520. Office hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Wednesday.