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Board approves draw on county line of credit as Advance Air performance falters
Summary
After hearing July performance statistics that showed an 86.87% completion rate and frequent controllable delays, the board authorized a draw on the county line of credit to bridge payments under the Advance Air contract and discussed options for carrier redundancy or replacing the carrier.
The Border Coast Regional Airport Authority voted to authorize use of the county line of credit to backfill payments under the Advance Air contract after commissioners raised repeated concerns about service reliability and passenger delays.
Director Sean Rosenthal presented carrier performance data for July and said the service was “down about a 100 [enplanements]… Average load factor, 52% … Completion rate is 86.87%.” Commissioners described multi‑day outages and urged staff to press the carrier for redundancy or a standby aircraft to avoid losing travelers and business to other airports. Rosenthal also outlined options the board could consider: require a 12‑month milestone plan from Advance Air, hire a consultant to pursue alternative carriers, or try to negotiate operational fixes with the current carrier. He said a consultant had proposed a seven‑month retainer at $2,000 per month to investigate changing carriers.
The board moved and approved an authorization to draw on the county line of credit as a bridge loan to cover obligations under the Advance Air contract. Several commissioners also asked staff to draft a letter to Advance Air seeking commitments on standby aircraft or improved operational redundancy and tasked Director Rosenthal to follow up on potential operational and parts issues raised by the carrier's aircraft model.
