Good connections help commuter airline soar

Good connections help commuter airline soar...

By Dennis Blank
Special for USA TODAY

   Williston, N.D. - Optometrist Harvey Bonner flies out of this remote western North Dakota town at 5:30 a.m. to reach Los Angeles by noon. But he's not complaining. Airline service has improved dramatically since Great Lakes Aviation began flying to Williston last month.
   Travelers are no longer paying huge premiums to fly out of the local airport or driving to Minot - a 200 mile round trip form Williston - to get a reasonable fare. Great Lakes makes five daily flights from here to Bismarck, the state capital. From there, fliers can catch connectin glights to Denver or Minneapolis and on to anywhere they want to go.
   Great Lakes is a minor player in an industry dominated by giant airlines. But like dozens of other commuter airlines, it plays a major role in linking the USA's small town to the rest of the world. " We have great connections to all major cities," says Alice Bergstrom, a Devils Lake, N.D. businesswoman, who flies the airline once a week." We can leave here at 5:00 a.m. and go to bed in Taipei."
   From its base in Spencer, Iowa, Great Lakes serves 47 towns in nine upper Midwest states. It flies an average 1,950 passengers a day - double what it flew a year ago. Many regional airlines operate in partnership with major airlines, and Great Lakes is no exception. It does business as United Express, one of the several regional affiliates of United Airlines. The arrangement saves fliers money.
   Before Great Lakes came to Williston, the town was served by an independent commuter, Big Sky Airlines of Billings, Montana, under the federal Essential Air Services program. The program provides subsidies to airlines that fly to certain small communities. The Department of Transporatation rejected Big Sky's bid to continue its round-trip service from Williston to Bismarck in favor of Great Lakes earlier this year. Big Sky's fares wre much higher. Bonner says a round trip to the West Coast- flying only part of the way on Big Sky - cost $150 more than on Great Lakes and United.
   Douglas Voss, a 38-year-old commercial airline pilot, started Great Lakes 10 years ago as a backup carrier for major airlines operating in Minnesota and Iowa. When they had mechanical problems with their aircraft, they would charter a Great Lakes plane to make the flight. Today, Great Lakes operate 30 19- passenger Beech 1900C aircraft and employs 527 people. Its 1992 revenue was $45 million. The company has been profitable every year, says Voss.
   Great Lakes also runs charter flights for college sports teams in Iowas and has a contract with the University of North Dakota at Grand Forks to train Taiwanese pilots - 28 this year. Even Voss is surprised by the airline's growth. Until a few years ago, Voss piloted Great Lakes flights regularly. Now he's too busy running the airline. " As opportunities keep being presented to us, we attempt to accommodate them," Voss says, "It has exceeded my wildest dreams !"

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