All,
We had more than 50 people respond directly to me and/or to the list serve on the topic of the Massena Airport Service – thank you for contributing to the community’s dialogue. I will be sharing the following with the Massena Town Supervisor for their public meeting tomorrow evening. If you have any questions, please send me a note to kchezum@clarkson.edu. Thanks. Kelly
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In terms of cities to be serviced, the tallies below represent the top choices with some people just listing one city and others two. I understand the newspaper did indicate that Chicago was under consideration, but in following up with the Supervisor, the four he asked for feedback on are currently in contention. I did leave these other options as “write-in” candidates as noted.
Albany – 15
Baltimore – 24
Boston -25
Buffalo – 6
Other “write-in” Cities:
NYC – 11
Chicago – 8
Toronto – 1
Ottawa - 1
Summary of Themes in the Comments:
· With Clarkson operations active in the Capital Region, the current Cape Air flights to Albany, NY from both Massena and Ogdensburg are used relatively frequently. There was sentiment and hope that at least one of the two regional airports would continue or expand that service. The same could be said for Boston, which people now drive to Saranac Lake to catch the Cape Air flight there.
· The people who fly Cape Air have been appreciative of the company’s level of customer service and commitment to the North Country.
· The appeal of a pressurized cabins/ more weather resilient planes and flights from Boutique Air was acknowledged in the feedback. There are concerns however about passenger’s needing connecting flights and the reciprocity agreements that the airline has in place to move bags quickly and for getting flights changed when there are delays on those connections.
· Access to connections were a driver for people selecting Boston and Baltimore, so that they have the potential for just 2 legs on a journey and not the three that most currently have when connecting Massena to Albany.
Kelly O. Chezum, MBA, DLP
Vice President for External Relations | Clarkson University
Colleagues,
We know many people travel in /out of Potsdam on different modes of transportation and when travelling by air, consider several different options.
The Town of Massena is currently reviewing two proposals by airlines to provide air service from Massena International Airport to regional air service hubs.
The current supplier has three daily roundtrips to Albany with connecting service to Boston on nine-passenger Cessna aircraft. The same carrier also offers flights to Albany with connections to Boston via the Ogdensburg Airport.
The Town of Massena is also considering a provider (may be an alternative provider) with nine-passenger planes that has offered to fly two direct routes, with the Town needing to choose two choices from among the list of Albany, Boston, Buffalo or Baltimore.
The Town Council will be holding a public meeting on Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 30 on the second floor of the Massena Town Hall, 60 Main St.. If you would like to submit comments to me about the likelihood you would use the Massena Airport with these destinations, including naming the two direct destinations you would most likely choose to use, I will be collecting wider feedback from Clarkson and sending a summary to the Town Supervisor. Your response to me by November 29 would be appreciated.
Please let me know if you have further questions or comments. Thanks.
Kelly
Kelly O. Chezum, MBA ’04, DLP
Vice President for External Relations | Clarkson University
Box 5500 | 8 Clarkson Avenue | Room 333 Cora & Bayard Clarkson Science Center
Potsdam, New York 13699
Meetings By Appointment at Capital Region Campus
80 Nott Terrace | Schenectady, NY 12308