Boone County Airport manager Judy McCutcheon made a statement.
“A mile on a highway gets you a mile. A mile on a runway gets you anywhere in the world.”
That is the attitude of the airport that services Harrison, Boone County, and six other counties.
The airport may be in a battle to keep Essential Air Service (EAS) funding. That program is very important to rural communities that have small airlines providing them service.
Providing service to Harrison is Southern Airways Express, who is one of the companies that fly into smaller communities.
Those airlines use subsidies from the United States Department of Transportation to help provide that service and to make a profit for their airlines.
“We have had a lot of airlines over the years,” said McCutcheon. “Southern has been a good one. We hope to keep them.”
Southern is in a contract with the Boone County Airport until Oct. 2026 as the number of the smaller airlines has dwindled in the past few years.
“There are five other airlines besides Southern,” said McCutcheon. “There were a lot more.”
Southern, who was purchased last year by Surf Airways, flies in the mainland as well as Hawaii and Alaska. The company received more than $12M from serving Arkansas’s four terminals.
Those four airports in Arkansas that operate with EAS funding include Harrison, El Dorado, Jonesboro, and Hot Springs.
The funds for EAS is not a taxpayer pot of gold. The funds for EAS is from international airlines flying over United State airspace. Those flights, despite not landing in America, are taxed by the federal government, and those fees are used to fund EAS.
Harrison has been a large part of this from the beginning of EAS in 1987. Harrison resident and United States Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt served on the transportation committee and helped develop this program.
“He was a major player in this,” said McCutcheon of Hammerschmidt. “It was during the time that all the airlines consolidated and they did the deregulation of airlines. During that time, Frontier Airlines flew into Harrison. When they consolidated, the big boys were not going to fly into a small community like Harrison anymore.”
It was determined that something was needed for the smaller communities. There had to be a plan to give people access to the national transportation system.
“JPH was a huge leader in getting that accomplished for all of us,” said McCutcheon.
There are rules that have been put into place and ones that tie the hands of the Boone County Airport to some degree.
“Our Dallas flights stay full all of the time,” said McCutcheon. “Everyone says that we need to get more Dallas flights. We would love too, but we are maxed out.”
The rules and regulations allow Harrison to have 18 flights each week. That is the cap for this airport.
Another thing that hinders Harrison’s ability to go to other runways is that each flight must take passengers to a mid-major or major hub. Northwest Arkansas, Kansas City and Tulsa do not meet the criteria to have a direct flight from Harrison.
“A commuter airline has to have a contract with a major airline so that you can book your ticket from Harrison to anywhere else in the world,” said McCutcheon. “It is great to fly out of here. There is free parking and no TSA.”
The Boone County Airport is a busy place. Nearly 500 passengers leave the airport each month.
Prices for flights from Harrison are reasonable. A flight from Harrison to New York City for July starts at $408 roundtrip. A roundtrip flight to Dallas is $158. A roundtrip flight to Honolulu is $1,022.
The Boone County Airport is a gem in our area. Take full advantage of the services that it offers.
