Shuttle America announces island flights will start in May

By Davis Bushnell, Globe Corespondent, 3/17/2002

BEDFORD - The air show at Hanscom Air Force Base the first weekend in June is no surprise to Shuttle America, which, its spokesman said, will try to assure that customers get to Hanscom Field, adjoining the military installation, on time for landings and departures that weekend.

But what surprised opponents of commercial aviation at Hanscom Field is that Shuttle America, operating as US Airways Express under a marketing agreement with US Airways, announced Feb. 26 that its expansion this year will be ''external to Hanscom.''

Rather, efforts will be centered on the commuter airline's new Pittsburgh hub, where it now has 48 daily operations, Mark Cestari, spokesman for the carrier, based in Windsor Locks, Conn., told those attending a meeting of the Hanscom Field Advisory Commission in Bedford.

However, the following week, without informing the commission in advance, Shuttle America rolled out a schedule for service to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, beginning May 24. It will then have one flight a day Thursday and Friday nights between Hanscom and the islands and two flights each Saturday and Sunday.

With White Plains, N.Y., service beginning tomorrow from Hanscom, Shuttle America will have 48 daily operations - a limit set by Massport, Monday through Friday. It also flies daily to New York's LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia, and Trenton, N.J.

But its weekend operations from Hanscom, Cestari said, will be 15 on Saturdays and 17 on Sundays, well below the daily limit of 48, he said.

Massport spokesman Richard Walsh said, ''Cestari has said the airline will adhere to the 48-operations-a-day limit.''

But others doubt Shuttle America will abide by the limit.

''Given what Cestari said Feb. 26, I don't feel confident about working with Shuttle America,'' said Peter Enrich, a Lexington selectman and a member of the Hanscom Field commission and the Hanscom Area Towns Committee.

This story ran on page 12 of the Boston Globe on 3/17/2002.
© Copyright 2002 Globe Newspaper Company.
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