Bedford Minuteman
Thursday, July 25, 2002

Cestari leaves Shuttle America, mixed reactions from community members

By Barbara Forster
Correspondent

After four years of leading the bandwagon for Hanscom Air Field’s controversial commercial airline, Shuttle America, Mark Cestari is leaving the company.

Friday, July 19 was the official farewell although the Newtonville resident will maintain an advisory relationship with the firm.

According to Cestari, personal reasons prompted his resignation after the airline decided to move company headquarters from New Jersey to Ft. Wayne, Ind.

"I am very sad (to leave) because this was such a labor of love," he said, "but I appreciate the rationale of the move especially since the marketing effort is now on hub flying."

Currently US Air is using Shuttle America primarily to provide service to its Pittsburgh hub. Of the 16 planes in the fleet, only two are devoted to Hanscom.

But when Shuttle America began operations at Hanscom the situation was different. The airline went to Buffalo, Trenton, Greensboro, NC, plus on-again, off-again flights to LaGuardia.

Cestari spent approximately 75 percent of his time working on expansion.

"This year it’s been 10 percent," he said.

The company has also relocated maintenance operations to Indiana.

Nevertheless, Cestari is confident US Air will stay at Hanscom.

"I don’t think there won’t be an ongoing commitment to Hanscom," he said. "It just won’t be as focused as it was."

Richard Walsh of Massport who pointed out that the Bedford-Trenton run is very profitable, agrees.

"I am confident there will be a presence at Hanscom," he said. "Like any growing regional airline they will fly where the business is."

Although small regional airlines are popular among the flying public, Cestari admits that competing with major outfits is a difficult task. Getting people to use satellite airports like Hanscom and keeping the company’s name in plain sight is another challenge for smaller airlines.

"It’s extremely difficult for independents to compete because there is a certain scale or critical mass that you need to reach," he added.

The airline, has had a bumpy ride since arriving on the scene in 1998.

In addition to several legal battles with residents over the years, Shuttle America stared bankruptcy in the face last year. After staving off that fate, the airline negotiated a co-share agreement with US Airways and limited its flight destinations.

Bumpy or not, area residents had varying reactions to the announcement.

Anna Winter, executive director of Save Our Heritage, is not unhappy to see a change at Shuttle America.

"We hope Mr. Cestari finds work that is less fraught with conflict," she said. "Perhaps all is fair in love, war, and marketing, but Mr. Cestari’s claim that the mission of Save Our Heritage is ‘hysterical, not historical’ and that our supporters — people like David McCullough, Ken Burns and Shelby Foote — are ‘elitists’ is patently absurd. Millions of people come here from all over the world to connect with America’s heritage. That connection is what we are fighting to preserve, and it’s a fight we are determined to win."

For Sheldon Moll, chairman of the Hanscom Air Field Advisory Commission, the relationship was straightforward.

"When asked for information he was responsive and when predicting the future he was as forthright as a private business director could be given the competitive environment of his business," said Moll. "Although many residents opposed Shuttle America’s operations Mark Cestari came across as a bright, intelligent person in his relations with us. We could have done a lot worse in dealing with the issues with someone else."

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy
© Copyright 1995-2001 - Town Online - All Rights Reserved ==========
**NOTICE: In accordance with 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.** ==========