Regional airline proposed for eight Northern cities BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) =97 A proposal for a regional airline will work only if= =20 business owners agree to support it, officials say. A $1.5 million federal= =20 transportation grant to study the idea has been awarded to the city of=20 Bismarck. The plan also includes the cities of Fargo and Grand Forks in=20 North Dakota; Sioux Falls and Rapid City in South Dakota; Billings, Mont.;= =20 Cheyenne, Wyo., and Winnipeg, Manitoba. "I think it's worth a look," said=20 Gary Ness, the North Dakota aeronautics commissioner. "It all depends if=20 the business community can generate enough activity." Bill Wocken, the=20 Bismarck city administrator, said a private consulting firm has been hired,= =20 with help from the University of North Dakota and North Dakota State, to=20 study such things as passenger demand, fares and schedules. He said the=20 study should be finished by mid-January. "There are a lot of pieces that=20 have to go together," Wocken said Thursday. "If it's feasible, that's=20 great. If it's not, we'll find out why not." Wocken said the feasibility study will cost $45,000. Should the study=20 indicate the need for regional service, the rest of the grant money will be= =20 used to develop it, he said. Regional air service could save time for=20 people who now have to drive, "and time is money," Wocken said. Mike=20 Marnach, the Sioux Falls airport manager, said he has not heard of a big=20 demand for regional airline service. "The concept is good," Marnach said.=20 "We need more service. I wish them luck, because they'll certain need some= =20 luck as they begin the route." Marnach said a regional airline was tried in= =20 South Dakota in October 1990. The airline, "Wings of South Dakota," went=20 out of business in about five months. It carried about a dozen passengers=20 and traveled to Aberdeen, Brookings, Huron, Mitchell, Pierre, Sioux Falls,= =20 Spearfish and Yankton. Ness said some things have changed since earlier proposals. Eight- or=20 nine-passenger jets are coming on the market, he and Wocken said. "There=20 are so many different pieces of equipment now," Ness said. Wocken said the= =20 regional airline would have to make it without subsidies, and companies=20 should know that going in. Marnach said the Bismarck grant is the largest=20 of about 40 that were awarded to study air service in small cities across=20 the country. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (chgdev) http://www.chagdev.com/ (Chaguaramas Development Authority) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************