By ANNA SODERBERG
STAFF WRITER
The Massena airport is introducing a new flight option starting April 1st, 2017. North Country travelers are going to be able to fly direct from Massena to Baltimore once daily in addition to the airport’s twice-daily flights to Albany, NY.
This year, the contract between Cape Air and the federal Essential Air Service program will expire on March 31st. The Massena town council voted unanimously to go in a new and different direction for what airplanes they provide their customers. North Country Public Radio spoke with airport officials in Massena who talked about their positive experience working with Cape Air since 2008, however Cape Air’s small Cessna airplanes have limited range and no bathroom.
The town council of Massena agreed on a two-year contract with Boutique Air. Massena, NY will be Boutique Air’s first East Coast hub. The airline is California-based and mainly flies in the South and West. Boutique uses an eight-passenger Pilatus, which is a Swiss airplane that has a main market for corporate transport and regional airliner operators.
David Sommerstein, a reporter for NCPR, spoke to Massena town supervisor Joseph Gray who elaborated on Boutique’s planes and how they differ from Cape Air’s Cessna airplanes.
Gray said, “It’s a pressurized cabin. It has a lavatory. It can fly at 20,000 to 30,000 feet, get above the weather. So it’s just going to be very different from what people were used to with Cape Air.” In shorter terms this means that the planes are bigger and faster, which will most likely be appreciated by fliers, as well as by the employees that spend time on these planes constantly.
Another positive component to this switch from Cape Air to Boutique Air is that the planes have a larger range, allowing the airline to possibly reach more destinations from Massena. Gray stated throughout his interview with Sommerstein that the Massena International Airport could potentially offer travelers more options beyond Baltimore and Albany. Gray also said “we think Baltimore is a good connection for people. Maybe we don’t need twice daily round trips to Albany. Is there something else we can do?”
SLU student Alden Price ’20 lives in Chestertown Maryland, only an hour from Baltimore Washington International. She explained that her current travel plans include flying to Philadelphia from Watertown. This new flight from Massena will eliminate three hours of Price’s travel itinerary, along with many other St. Lawrence Country college students. This change of pace for the Massena International Airport will create not only buzz for St. Lawrence County, but it will also help those who are attempting to travel up north, creating more convenient travel plans. This addition will open doors for further flights to be put into place