ADI Now Says Flights to Chicago Will Begin July 1

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Aerodynamics Inc. announced today that it would push back the launch of daily flight service from the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport until July 1 in order to give the U.S. Department of Transportation more time to review additional financial information from the company that the agency requested.

“It will be critical that we have sufficient time in advance of our first flight date to fill these seats, once the service goes on sale,” Mickey Bowman, ADI’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “We regret having to further delay our inauguration of service, it is unavoidable at this point.”

ADI announced March 29 during a press event that it expected to begin selling tickets April 4 with daily flights from Youngstown-Warren to Chicago O’Hare Airport beginning May 30. These dates were incumbent upon the DOT granting final approval for the flight service.

The flights would be the first daily service from Youngstown since 2002.

In April, ADI said that the launch date was moved back to June 13 in order to accommodate the DOT’s review. Earlier this month, the DOT requested additional financial information from ADI before it could grant final approval for flight service from Youngstown.

Among the information DOT seeks is third-party verification that the company has the required funds to operate the service, and the company has submitted a copy of its air services agreement with the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport.

That agreement calls for a $1.2 million revenue guarantee for ADI during the first year the service is established. DOT has advised ADI that it could only use the local share of the grant, which is $420,000, toward meeting its financial fitness test with the agency.

ADI has completed its required proving flights with the FAA, the company said, but needs the DOT to render a final decision before flight service and ticket sales can begin.

“We must have the final authorization in hand from the U.S. DOT before we can collect funds for the advance sales of these flights,” Bowman 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 Systems. We are working toward a schedule load as soon as possible once the DOT grants our final approval.”

Dan Dickten, Youngstown-Warren’s director of aviation, said that the delay would allow additional time to pre-book aircraft seats and position the service for success. “It will be up to the community to use the ADI service so its will sustain itself in a timely manner. This will result in additional frequency and destinations for regional travelers,” he said in a statement.

Dickten told The Business Journal May 11, that ADI was making “good progress” toward resolving its financial issues with DOT.

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.