Friday, September 21, 2001

Northwest to Reduce Flights at Sioux Gateway Airport

SIOUX CITY, IA - On September 15th Northwest Airlines announced a 20% reduction in flight schedules in response to the terrorist attacks in New York and at the Pentagon.  Mesaba Airlines, d/b/a Northwest Airlink, also announced on Monday that they would reduce their flight schedule by 20%.  The impact of this service change at the Sioux Gateway Airport has or will result in the following:

Now through October 1st the Airport will lose its 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. departures.  This change is being felt system wide due to the elimination of Northwest’s 10 p.m. flight bank out of Minneapolis and their earlier announced cutbacks.  Any community that had service that fed into that bank or departed out of it has been eliminated.

Effective October 1st, the Airport will lose its 8:11 p.m. departure which serviced the 10 p.m. flight bank in Minneapolis.

The November schedule for Northwest/Northwest Airlink is unsure at this time.

“Obviously we hate to see any changes in the airline schedule and we will continue to work with Northwest and Northwest Airlink to maintain the highest level of passenger services,” said Glenn Januska, Airport Director.  “At the same time, we have to recognize that this is a difficult time for the air carriers.  As partners, I feel it’s necessary to support any actions they have to take to maintain their long-term viability.  The best thing all of us can do right now is to continue with our travel plans, which not only helps the airlines with operating revenue, but helps bolster service.”

In related news, late Wednesday night the Federal Aviation Administration authorized the return of general aviation flight activity with some exemptions, including a continued restriction on flight training operations, banner towing, traffic watch/reporting, airships/blimps, and news reporting.

Passengers using the Airport should remember the following guidelines:

1. Arrive at the Airport 1 1/2 hours prior to your scheduled departure time

2. Park in the long-term parking lot, the short-term parking lot is now closed

3. Rental car return - follow the signs to return cars

4. There is no parking in front of the terminal

5. Loading and unloading of passengers is allowed only at the front door of the terminal

6. No vehicle or bag can be left unattended

7. Passengers must be checked in for their scheduled flight at least 30 minutes prior to departure or their reservation may be subject to cancellation

8. Only ticketed passengers are allowed in the secured boarding area

9. All passengers must go through the screening process

10. Please continue to check with the airlines on the status of flights.

Following these simple rules will help to speed up the check-in process