Southern Airways Express made their presentation to the Boone County Regional Airport Board of Directors on Wednesday, Nov. 4.  Southern has held the Essential Air Service contract for Harrison for ten years. 

The representatives said their proposal to the DOT and the Board are the actual numbers from the past year and not guess work. Southern has a 98% completion rate. 

Their bid includes up to 21 flights to DFW a week. Company-wide, they flew more than 300,000 passengers last year on 62,000 scheduled departures. They pride themselves on always having two pilots on every flight with safety and excellent training as a company priority. They have more than 570 employees and plan to continue to hire local and keep pilots stationed in Harrison.

They are also very proud of the 143 cubic feet of cargo space – enough for golf clubs or hunting equipment safely stowed under the plane.

Southern has inner line agreements with American Airlines and United Airlines so passengers can book one ticket to anywhere in the world and start from Harrison. Luggage will automatically be ticketed to the final destination.

The Airport Board of Directors must submit a first and second preference by Nov. 30 to the Department of Transportation.

“The DOT has the final say and will more than likely announce in late December who they chose to serve our community,” McCutcheon said. “We are very grateful for the interest these aviation companies have shown in our airport.”