First flight from Southern Airways lands
EL DORADO — A flat tire caused an hourplus delay for Southern Airways Express’s first landing in El Dorado on Monday.
But that was a good thing, an airline official said.
“A mishap on landing day is typically a sign of good luck,” joked Mark Cestari, executive vice president of business development for Southern.
Cestari was aboard the flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
Southern Airways is the city's new Essential Air Service provider.
The nine-seat Cessna Carvan EX was expected to touch down at 10:45 a.m. at South Arkansas Regional Airport at Goodwin Field.
However, a flat tire grounded the plane in Dallas, pushing its arrival in El Dorado to noon.
Cestari was among seven passengers who disembarked the plane when it landed at South Arkansas Regional Airport.
Throughout mid-morning, Southern staff, members of the El Dorado Airport Commission and Tim Johnson, manager of the regional airport, received updates on the plane’s — and Cestari’s — anticipated arrival.
Ryan Dach, director of stations for Southern, said operations are up and running at the
regional airport, and the booking/ticket counter is open for business.
“Our computers are in place, and everything’s working. The staff has been great. Everybody has gone out their way
to help us,” Dach said.
Those who go to the municipal airport to book their flights will see a familiar face behind the ticket counter — Shanda McDaniel is the station manager.
McDaniel has worked in the travel industry for more than 20 years and worked in that capacity for several Essential Air Service providers who have served the region, including Lone Star, Mesa and SeaPort.
Southern was awarded a federal contract to pick up several EAS routes that were vacated last year when SeaPort was ordered to cease operations due to a bankruptcy filing.
When looking to staff the local station, Cestari said Southern officials heard “lots of good things” about McDaniel.
She said Monday that the changeover from SeaPort to Southern has been seamless.
“This is our first day. I’m a veteran at this,” she laughed. “The transition has been very easy. We didn’t have to do anything other than show up. (Southern) already had everything set up.”
Also manning the station is Southern’s customer service agent Paige Johnson.
Dach said Southern plans to hire another part-time customer service agent soon.
McDaniel said there had not been any flights booked from El Dorado to Dallas on Monday, but there have been “tons of calls” from people who are looking to book flights this week and later.
Dach said airport employees, including manager Tim Johnson, have also taken those calls.
Southern is starting with one flight a day to the from Goodwin Field to Dallas-Fort Worth fixed based operation, with plans to add more daily flights by the end of the month, Cestari has said.
Southern offers a three-tier rate schedule for one-way trips, including $39 for 14 days in advance; $49 for seven days in advance; and $69 that allows for flexibility to make changes up to 24 hours prior to flight time.
Dach said there is no charge to book a flight in person for Southern’s ticket counter at South Arkansas Regional Airport.
Community leaders have said they will work with Southern to encourage the local flying community, leisure and business travelers, to use the new commercial airline.
Johnson recently noted that the city has been without such service since SeaPort pulled out last September.
Dach said business swiftly picked up in the two other EAS communities it serves in Arkansas: Hot Springs and Harrison.
“We started in Harrison on Jan. 31, and it’s really been busy. I didn’t it expect it to be so busy, and with Hot Springs being a tourist town, you would, of course, expect it to be busy, and it has,” Dach said.
McDaniel pointed to the $39 fare, saying callers who are looking to book flights with Southern have been inquiring about the rate.
Brandon Gurley, a member of Three Creeks Baptist Church, was in the airport lobby speaking with a friend when the two learned that Southern was set to begin flying out of El Dorado on Monday.
Gurley said he will encourage the church to utilize the new air service, noting that the church members often fly around the world for mission trips.
He said his friend was preparing to board a private jet on the first leg of a return trip to his native India.
Gurley then referred to Southern Airways’ $39 rate.
“We were just discussing this. My friend is from India — we do missions together — and we were saying we wished we had known they were starting today,” Gurley said. “We were just saying how much cheaper it is and it would save us hundreds of dollars to fly to Dallas, rather than booking tickets out of Little Rock.”
For more information or to book a flight, visit iFlySouthern.com.
(City editor Janice McIntyre contributed this story)