PRESCOTT, Ariz. – Ukwenqatshwa kwe-Air Midwest kufike ngokushesha kufeksi yekhasi elilodwa. Umthuthi ubengeke esakwazi ukundiza eya emphakathini wasePrescott osezintabeni, kusho izikhulu. Idolobha kuzomele lithole umqashi omusha wesikhumulo sezindiza salo esincane.
"Konke bekuhamba kahle --ke, bam - inkampani yezindiza ayisekho," kusho iMeya uJack Wilson ephefumula. "Akuyona nje indlela owenza ngayo ibhizinisi."
Kuwukukhungatheka okuzwakala ezindaweni zonke zasemaphandleni aseMelika.
Uhulumeni wobumbano waqinisekisa amadolobhana amancane namadolobha amaningi ngenkonzo yomoya eminyakeni engama-30 edlule lapho esusa umthetho embonini. Kodwa ukukhuphuka kwentengo kaphethiloli kudlule uxhaso oluvela ohlelweni lwe-Essential Air Service, futhi abathwali abaningi bazama ukuphinda baxoxisane ngezinkontileka zabo noma bashiye ngokuphelele.
Ngokusho koMnyango wezokuThutha okuyiwona ophethe lolu hlelo, izinkampani zezindiza zicele ukuphuma ezivumelwaneni zoxhaso lwamadolobha angu-20 kuze kube manje kulo nyaka. Lokho kucishe kufane nesamba sika-2007 samadolobha angama-24. Ngo-2006, izindiza zacela ukuyeka izinkontileka zamadolobha angu-15.
Khonamanjalo, uhulumeni wobumbano uhlela ukunciphisa isabelomali sakhe se-Essential Air Service sika-2009 siye ku-$50 million, ngaphansi kwengxenye yesabelomali sohlelo lwakhe eminyakeni eyisikhombisa edlule.
UJim Corridore, umhlaziyi kwa-Standard & Poor's, uthe imiphakathi yasemakhaya kufanele ilungele izindiza ezimbalwa nakakhulu esikhathini esizayo.
"Lena akuyona inhlangano esiza abantulayo," kusho uCorridore. “Izinkampani zezindiza zisebhizinisini ukuze zenze imali, azikho. Eqinisweni, balahlekelwa izigidigidi zamaRandi. Ngakho kukhona okumele kusikwe.”
I-Regional Airline Association iyaphikisana. Imiphakathi yasemaphandleni ingakwazi ukugcina umsebenzi wayo wezindiza uma uhlelo lwenhlangano lulungiswa futhi lunikezwa uxhaso oluyidingayo, kusho uFaye Malarkey, umgqugquzeli wale nhlangano.
Ngokusho kwezikhulu zezindiza, iphutha eliyinhloko nge-Essential Air Service ukuthi ayinyusi uxhaso ukuze ihlangabezane nezindleko zokusebenza ezikhuphukayo njengophethiloli.
Ngakho-ke njengoba izindleko zikaphethiloli wendiza zenyuka, ngaphezu kokuphindwe kabili ukusuka ku-$1.86 ilitha ngalinye ekuqaleni kuka-2007 kuya ku-$3.96 ilitha ngalinye ngoMeyi, izindiza zavalelwa kuxhaso olufanayo. Abanye abathwali bakhuphule imali yokugibela, kodwa lokho akukwazanga ukuhambisana nezindleko zikaphethiloli.
"Sekuyiminyaka eminingi senza inzuzo," kusho uMongameli we-Air Midwest u-Greg Stephens.
UStephens uthe i-Air Midwest yazama ukuphuma emizileni yomxhaso e-East Coast nyakenye ukuze yonge imali, kodwa uMnyango wezokuThutha uyiphoqe ukuthi ihloniphe ezinye zalezo zinkontileka cishe izinyanga ezingu-14 ngenxa yokuthi ayikwazanga ukuthola enye inkampani ezoyithatha. phezu.
Inkampani iqhubekile nokulahlekelwa yimali. Khonamanjalo, umzali u-Mesa Air Group Inc. waphoqeleka ukuthi akhokhe u-$52.5 wezigidi ukuze axazulule icala ne-Hawaiian Airlines Inc. U-Mesa uphinde wafunda ukuthi i-Delta Air Lines Inc. ifuna ukukhansela inkontileka yezigidi ezingu-20 zamaRandi ngenyanga.
Inkampani ayisakwazi ukulinda, kusho uStephens.
IMesa Air Group inqume ukuvala i-Air Midwest, ikhansele insizakalo emadolobheni angama-20 ezifundazweni eziyi-10 ngasekupheleni kukaJuni. UStephens uthe kungenzeka ukuthi uMesa ngeke abuyele ezindizeni zomxhaso futhi.
"Besizama ukukhulisa i-Air Midwest ngokusebenzisa i-EAS," esho. Kodwa “ikhasimende lizimisele kakhulu ukungena emgwaqeni” futhi lishayele liye esikhumulweni sezindiza esikhulu, naphezu kwamanani entengo kaphethiloli aphezulu. “Yilokho ebesiqhudelana nakho.”
Inkampani yenethiwekhi i-Colgan Air Inc. nayo idonsa kanzima ngezinkontileka zayo ezixhaswa uhulumeni. Yathumela ukulahlekelwa kokusebenza kwezigidi ezingu-4.5 zamaRandi ngo-2007, ngokwengxenye ngenxa yezindleko zikaphethiloli ezikhulayo.
"Ezindaweni eziningi sinesevisi ye-EAS, sibheka izindleko zikaphethiloli zika-$5 kanye ne-$6 ilitha," kusho u-Joe Williams, umkhulumeli we-Colgan abazali i-Pinnacle Airlines Corp. yaseMemphis, e-Tenn. iminyaka edlule."
Inkampani yezindiza futhi izama ukwenza inzuzo ngokususa ezinye zezindiza zayo zisuka e-Pittsburgh ziye e-Washington's Dulles International Airport nangokunikeza abahambi ukuxhumana okwengeziwe ngesivumelwano sokwabelana ngekhodi ne-United Airlines.
U-Colgan usanda kucela ukuphuma ezinkontilekeni ezisebenzela amadolobha ayisithupha eWest Virginia, Maine nasePennsylvania, kodwa uthemba ukuphinda aphikisele lezo zinkontileka futhi acele uxhaso olukhulu ukuze abonise ukukhuphuka kwamanani kaphethiloli.
Yileyo ndlela kuphela inkampani yezindiza engalungisa ngayo inkontileka yomxhaso ngezindleko eziphakeme zikaphethiloli - icele ukuphuma esibophweni sayo, ilinde izinsuku eziyi-180 njengoba umnyango ucubungula isicelo bese uphinda ufaka isicelo senkontileka, kusho uMalarkey.
“Kuyinto embi kakhulu ongayenza enkonzweni,” kusho yena. “Usukumele phezulu umphakathi. Abaqondi kahle. Inkampani yezindiza ibonakala ibalahla.”
I-Regional Airline Association icele izinguquko ohlelweni lomxhaso iminyaka embalwa, ukuze izinkampani zezindiza zingadingeki zithwale kanzima ukwenza izindiza zasemaphandleni zibe nenzuzo. UMalarkey uthe uMnyango wezokuThutha kufanele ukhuphule uxhaso ukuze uvumele izilinganiso zenzuzo ephezulu futhi unikeze izinkampani zezindiza isibonelelo sikahulumeni kanye ukuze zikhokhele ukukhuphuka kwezindleko zikaphethiloli.
Okhulumela uMnyango wezokuThutha uthe le nhlangano iyavuma ukuthi kunesidingo sokuguqulwa kodwa ayihambisani nokwakhiwa kwemixhaso eguqukayo ezokhombisa ukukhuphuka kwezindleko zikaphethiloli. Isixazululo sawo wukukhawulela uxhaso emiphakathini engayodwa kuphela.
"Kudingeka ukuguqulwa kwe-EAS ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuthi lolu hlelo lusiza abantu olwaklanyelwe ukubasiza - labo abangenazo ezinye izindlela zokuhamba ezisebenzayo," kusho umkhulumeli uBill Mosely esitatimendeni.
Uhlelo lwe-Essential Air Service lwadalwa eminyakeni engama-30 edlule ngemuva kokuthi imboni yezindiza iyekwa ukulawulwa. Abathwali bebengeke bandize ngezindlela ezingenanzuzo baye emiphakathini emincane, ngakho uhulumeni wobumbano wavuma ukukhokha ezinye zezindleko zabo.
Imiphakathi manje izithatha njengendlela yokuphila. Izindiza zomxhaso zikhuthaza amabhizinisi ukuthi ande ngaphandle kwezikhungo zasemadolobheni, futhi zinikeza izakhamuzi ukufinyelela ngokushesha ezikhungweni zezokwelapha nasezindaweni zezindiza zamazwe ngamazwe emadolobheni amakhulu.
“Kuyisidingo, hhayi ukunethezeka,” kusho uW. Gary Edward, umphathi wedolobha laseMassena, NY, umphakathi ongaba ngu-11,500 XNUMX eduze komngcele wase-US-Canada. U-Edward uthe iBig Sky Airlines yaphuma edolobheni ngoNovemba, kanti uMassena manje uselinde isevisi entsha evela kwaCapital Air Services Inc. ezoqala ngoSepthemba.
"Siphezulu kakhulu esifundeni saseNew York," kusho u-Edwards. “Asinawo umgwaqo onguthelawayeka onemizila emine. Yonke imigwaqo yethu lapha phezulu iyimigwaqo yasemaphandleni.”
I-Prescott, inhloko-dolobha yase-Arizona yangaphambili, ihlangene phakathi kwamahlathi ezwe cishe amakhilomitha angu-100 enyakatho ye-Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Ikhule yaba yindawo yabantu abadla umhlalaphansi abacebile, ibaheha emadolobheni ngesithembiso sayo sokubuka izintaba, imizila eyanele yokuhamba izintaba nomoya ohlanzekile. Cishe abantu abangu-129,000 manje bahlala endaweni engamakhilomitha angu-20 ukusuka e-Prescott Airport - okwanele ukulindela isevisi yezindiza ehloniphekile, kusho uGary Buck, umongameli kanye ne-CEO yenkampani yezobuchwepheshe bembono edolobheni.
“Okwamanje, ungazikhethela ukuthatha isikebhe sezindiza uye ePhoenix, noma ungashayela uqonde ngqo,” kusho uBuck. “Kuthatha cishe amahora amabili ukuya nokubuya. Kubuhlungu nje.”
Inkampani kaBuck, iVisual Pathways Inc., idinga ukuthi aphume edolobheni cishe kane ngenyanga futhi alethe amakhasimende kabili noma kathathu ngenyanga. Wayejwayele ukundiza i-Air Midwest, nakuba inkonzo yayingathembekile. Ngesikhathi sokugcina uBuck ephathisa inkampani yenethiwekhi izinhlelo zakhe zokuhamba, wabuya ngebhasi.
“Bathi yiphutha lomshini,” esho. “Bahlale besho njalo.”
UBuck uthe uPrescott ufanelwe abathwali abahlukahlukene, ngalinye liqhudelana nebhizinisi.
Lokho kungase kube ithemba elikude, uma kubhekwa intengo kaphethiloli nesimo semboni yezindiza. Kodwa izikhulu zakwaPrescott zithe zizogcina izinhlelo zazo zokwandisa umzila wezindiza futhi zicele abanye abathwali besifunda ukuthi bandize baye esikhumulweni sezindiza.
IGreat Lakes Aviation iphinde yanikela ngokuthatha indawo ye-Air Midwest, kanti ngoSepthemba, i-Horizon Airlines kulindeleke ukuthi ibuyisele izindiza zezentengiselwano eziya e-Prescott nesevisi esikhumulweni sezindiza i-Los Angeles International.
Ngaphandle kwenkonzo yomoya, “ingabe abantu bazohlala lapha?” Kusho iMeya uWilson. “Cha. Uma silahlekelwa inkampani yezindiza, siqala ukulahlekelwa abantu. Silahlekelwa namabhizinisi.”
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