Launch of ADI Flights Delayed until June 13

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – The launch of daily scheduled service between Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna Township and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport will be delayed until June 13, Aerodynamics Inc. announced Thursday.

Launch of the service was formally announced March 29 during a media event at the regional airport, and Dan Dickten, the airport’s aviation director, said last week he expected ticketing information would be entered into global distribution Sunday.

Proving flights for the service were completed last week, Dickten said.

The flights will represent the resumption of scheduled daily service at the Vienna Township airport for the first time since 2002. ADI will begin the service with 10 scheduled round-service flights each week.

According to the news release issued Thursday, the delay will provide additional time for the U.S. Department of Transportation to grant its final approval for ADI’s Domestic Service Authority.

DOT must review the input from the Federal Aviation Administration in addition to requested financial filings, as called for in the final order DOT issued in January granting ADI its required certification to provide the scheduled daily service to Chicago.

“We must have the final authorization in hand from the U.S DOT before we can collect funds for the advance sale of these flights,” Mickey Bowman, ADI’s chief operating officer, said.

“We have a window on Tuesday of each week to load schedules and fares into our reservation platform for display on the Global Distribution System,” he continued. ADI is working toward a schedule load date of May 10, which would mean flights would be available for sale on ADI’s website and through its call center May 11 and on other reservation portals May 15.

After consulting with officials at the regional airport, “It was agreed that we should allow at least four weeks of pre-sale time to work toward filling those seats,” he said.

“We need the 30-day advance ticket sales to make sure there are passengers booked on the aircraft when the service launches and into the future so we are not needlessly expending valuable funding and resources,” Dickten said. “Waiting two more weeks for the service startup while we sell tickets is time well spent.”

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