Modesto draws interest for L.A. passenger flights

The president of Great Lakes Airlines reiterated his company’s interest in providing passenger flights between Modesto and Los Angeles.

But Great Lakes needs pilots for those flights, and its search comes as the airline industry weathers a pilot shortage, which has hit smaller, regional carriers – including Cheyenne, Wyo.-based Great Lakes – hard.

“They are out there,” Great Lakes President Chuck Howell said. “But they are hard to find and hard to keep. Once you get them trained, they have the skill sets to move on.”

Howell and other Great Lakes officials were at the Modesto Airport on Thursday. The airline held a meet-and-greet for pilots, and Howell updated the Airport Advisory Committee on his airline’s plans.

“Our message is not so much that we are looking at Modesto,” he said in an interview. “We see the viability of Modesto. The question is, can we get the crew? … If and when we announce service, will it be sustainable on the human resources side, which comes down to the pilots?”

Modesto Airport Manager Mark Germanowski attributed the shortage in large measure to pilots needing more flight hours before they can fly regularly scheduled commercial passenger flights. The Federal Aviation Administration announced in 2013 it was increasing those hours from 250 to 1,500, though there are some exceptions to the regulations, such as for former military pilots.

Great Lakes struggled with canceled and delayed flights and lost money, according to news accounts. Howell said his airline reduced its operations from serving 50 cities three years ago to about a dozen today.

“We had to shrink because of the pilot shortage,” he said.

He added that Great Lakes has stabilized its operations, is close to becoming profitable again and is looking to expand. Great Lakes also is considering establishing service at Carlsbad in Southern California and at Stockton. Howell said Great Lakes considers Modesto and Stockton separate markets and it could provide flights at both airports.

Modesto has not had passenger flights since June 2014, when SkyWest Airlines ended its daily flights to and from San Francisco, citing “poor performance in the market.” The flights were subject to delays and cancellations because of fog and other problems at San Francisco International Airport, causing passengers to miss their connecting flights.

Howell said it is too early to say if and when Great Lakes would come to Modesto. He said if the airline started the Los Angeles flights they would be on Embraer EMB 120 Brasilias, twin-turboprop airplanes that seat 30 passengers. Great Lakes is looking at two daily flights initially and would need a half-dozen pilots.

Germanowski said Great Lakes spoke with about a dozen pilots at Thursday’s meet-and-greet. He said Great Lakes will set up interviews with those pilots who are qualified for the flights and a good fit for the airline.

Opportunity Stanislaus – formerly known as the Stanislaus Business Alliance – held what it called a fly-in at the airport in conjunction with Thursday’s meet-and-greet to showcase the community’s interest in the Los Angeles flights. The fly-in drew a huge crowd and featured food trucks and free flights provided by Hummingbird Aviation. High school students also attended to learn about careers in aviation.

This story was originally published January 22, 2017 at 5:08 PM with the headline "Modesto draws interest for L.A. passenger flights."