Vision Airlines puts plans on hold

Less air and noise pollution over Farmington.

Does anyone know the reason Great Lakes is not flying the FMN-ABQ route? They already have operations in both cities and fly the perfect sized aircraft to service this route?

They need to get that Mayes out of the City Mgr position--Farmington will never get better if he stays there---they should have left Mesa Airlines to fly from Farmington to Phoenix route with a Dash 8 Aircraft--they seat a good number of seats WHAT HAPPEN TO THAT SERVICE--

PILOT FR NEW MEXICO wrote:

They need to get that Mayes out of the City Mgr position--Farmington will never get better if he stays there---they should have left Mesa Airlines to fly from Farmington to Phoenix route with a Dash 8 Aircraft--they seat a good number of seats WHAT HAPPEN TO THAT SERVICE--

Dude, you shouldn't drink before you post messages. Mesa Airlines doesn't exist anymore.

"Dude, you shouldn't drink before you post messages. Mesa Airlines doesn't exist anymore."

Dude, you shouldn't smoke weed before you post messages. http://www.mesa-air.com/ they look pretty alive to me.

We should be happy that New Mexico Airlines wants to provide us with service to ABQ in aircraft that make sense. Mesa couldn't make the route work with 19 seaters, so how will Great Lakes? NMA has 9-seaters that are roomier and more comfortable, with bigger windows.

InFrequentFlyer wrote:

"Dude, you shouldn't drink before you post messages. Mesa Airlines doesn't exist anymore."
Dude, you shouldn't smoke weed before you post messages. http://www.mesa-air.com/ they look pretty alive to me.
We should be happy that New Mexico Airlines wants to provide us with service to ABQ in aircraft that make sense. Mesa couldn't make the route work with 19 seaters, so how will Great Lakes? NMA has 9-seaters that are roomier and more comfortable, with bigger windows.

holy crap..its either smoking or drinking! have u flown in that caravan? are you willing to carry your own luggage to and from the plane? how about IFR days...I understand they can only fly VFR?

Vision Airlines is trying to keep its head above water right now. They may not even be around in 12 months or they may be reduced back to a scenic tour operator only.

The Caravan is not a bad aircraft. It can fly VFR (good weather) and IFR (bad weather). Its operating costs are slim, it can turn a profit just with 4 passengers.

New Mexico Airlines will provide you adequate service to your hub. The First Officer (co-pilot) will help the passengers with loading bags.

Overall right now your town needs whatever operation you can get to feed you to ABQ that is cost effective. Those gov't subsidized routes are only there in hopes some type of operator can ween off the govt's money and turn a profit.

Good Luck to all of you in Farmington and remember YOU control YOUR local gov't!

this stinks, it is crazy that there is not a flight from these two cities. Farmington is a growing community that is difficult to ge to from every where.

Noname wrote:

Vision Airlines is trying to keep its head above water right now. They may not even be around in 12 months or they may be reduced back to a scenic tour operator only.
The Caravan is not a bad aircraft. It can fly VFR (good weather) and IFR (bad weather). Its operating costs are slim, it can turn a profit just with 4 passengers.
New Mexico Airlines will provide you adequate service to your hub. The First Officer (co-pilot) will help the passengers with loading bags.
Overall right now your town needs whatever operation you can get to feed you to ABQ that is cost effective. Those gov't subsidized routes are only there in hopes some type of operator can ween off the govt's money and turn a profit.
Good Luck to all of you in Farmington and remember YOU control YOUR local gov't!

My understanding is that the F.O. is the only pilot, and they're not authorized to fly IFR.

I heard Delta is pulling out of Durango. If the city of Farmington is wise they would get to work on that route also. Skywest or Great Lakes into SLC's Delta hub. Add non-stop flights into PHX and DEN. Eventually, giving Four Corners Regional a name to live up to. But, I doubt this will happen...Farmington city council act too slow, that is why Frontier Airlines never came to Farmington. Frontier sent out memo late last year to all regional cities in NM, CO, WY, MT, UT, to name a few. Santa Fe was the only city from NM expressing interest in Frontier service into their city. Most CO cities replied to Frontier expressing interest, that is why Durango has the 70-seat Frontier jet service for such a small community.

orville wrote:

<quoted text>
My understanding is that the F.O. is the only pilot, and they're not authorized to fly IFR.

No there must be two pilots, Captain and First Officer, mandatory by law (FAR) for 121 domestic scheduled service, which is what New Mexico Airlines will be providing you.
They will also be able to fly in good or bad weather. The Caravan can be flown in all weather conditions. The Caravan is popular with a lot of freight operators, bush pilots and smaller airlines.

Actually, from what I can tell, New Mexico Air is a part 135 airline. They can fly the Caravan VFR only with one pilot. That's how Mesa used to operate them.