ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. — MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in St. Clair County is looking to tap into a federal grant program to add service to seven cities.
It's submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program, which helps smaller markets add flights. Airport Director Bryan Johnson said competition is robust for the program, which could decide which facilities get the grants by August or September. The grant amounts go up to $1 million over three years and are used to fill gaps needed by airlines to add service, Johnson said. But MidAmerica is requesting $490,000 from the feds, and would itself kick in $160,000.
MidAmerica is targeting not just leisure markets, its current specialty.
In its application to the Department of Transportation, the airport, which is owned by St. Clair County, said it would like to add service to:
- Newark/New York
- Denver
- Baltimore/Washington
- Los Angeles
- Oakland/Bay Area
- San Diego
- And Orange County/Santa Ana
Allegiant Air (NASDAQ: ALGT), MidAmerica's only carrier, currently flies to 12 destinations, including two seasonal routes, from the airport.
An official from the airline, Manager of Airport Affairs Sarah Richardson, told a federal official in a January letter that "as Allegiant grows, we are continually searching for new opportunities."
"A grant award to help us offset costs and market our new service would improve the Airport's position for additional service," Richardson wrote to Brooke Chapman, associate director of the Small Community Air Service Development Program. "As its name implies, MidAmerica is located in the center of the U.S., and offers passengers in the greater St. Louis region a low cost alternative to destinations across the country."
Click here for the full story.
