SkyWest is ready for takeoff once again from Barkley Regional

SkyWest is the next carrier servicing Barkley Regional Airport beginning December 1st.

The Barkley Regional Airport Authority board made the selection Tuesday as to which regional airline will take over after the current contract expires this fall.

The proposal from SkyWest calls for 12 weekly round-trip flights to either Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport or Chicago O'Hare International Airport for the next four years. The two hubs give Paducah flyers access to up to 271 destinations worldwide. SkyWest will codeshare with United Airlines making travel to all those destinations seamless.

The committee working with SkyWest was able to negotiate the use of CRJ-550 airplanes for the flights to and from Barkley. The planes are newer, more spacious, and will have First Class, Economy Plus, and Economy classes available. 

Barkley Regional Airport Executive Director Dennis Rouleau told West Kentucky Star that the decision needed to be made this week so that the U.S. Department of Transportation would have time to review and approve the agreement. He said final approval from them could take 30 to 60 days. Then the airline would be able to open up flights for purchase sometime in September for the December 1st start date for SkyWest.

McCracken County Judge-Executive Craig Clymer said, "It's huge. It's just huge." He added, "This airport deserves a top-notch carrier." Clymer talked also about the convenience factor of flying from Barkley pointing out the ease of parking, getting through security, and with the new carrier access to virtually anywhere in the world from Paducah.

The board met in executive session to discuss all five proposals and ultimately decide which one they would endorse. Five different carriers submitted proposals, including Contour Airlines, which currently flies daily from Paducah to Charlotte.

In addition to Contour, American Airlines,  Air Wisconsin,  Denver Air, and SkyWest were the five carriers bidding. 

Now that the board has made its decision, the Barkley Regional Airport Authority will begin circulating a petition which they intend to add to their recommendation. The goal is to show community support for the selection and the airport. 

The final recommendation and the petition will be submitted to the U.S.D.O.T., which subsidizes Paducah's flights under its Essential Air Service program. That program will only fund one air carrier at each qualifying small market airport.