Money to restart passenger service

MOSES LAKE - A federal grant of $475,000 was awarded to the Port of Moses Lake, which will be used as a tool in returning commercial air service to the area, the port's executive manager announced Monday.

The announcement comes two years after a roughly $1 million annual federal air subsidy was pulled, discontinuing commercial air service from Moses Lake, said Craig Baldwin, executive manager of the Port of Moses Lake. The subsidy was partially ended because of low ridership, he said.

The grant doesn't mean commercial service will return to Moses Lake immediately, he explained.

Rather, it "just gets us one step forward," he said. The money goes to a carrier in case the carrier doesn't break even by coming to Moses Lake, Baldwin explained.

"If they break even, we don't use the money at all," he said. "The goal here is that we don't pay them and we give it back to the federal government. That's always the goal, that air service is working great."

The port is negotiating with three air carriers to offer commercial service, he said. Baldwin declined to release the carriers' names at their request.

On Monday, Port of Moses Lake Commissioner Delone Krueger said the grant is a wonderful thing for Moses Lake.

The grant will be added to a $350,000 local match and an in-kind contribution of $650,000, according to the office of U.S. Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash. She is chairman of the Senate Transportation and Housing Appropriations Subcommittee.

"I am very pleased that this grant will help Moses Lake again offer air service to Seattle, she stated. "Investing in the Grant County International Airport will help it continue to play a strong role in supporting the economy and transportation needs of Central Washington. This route will help the community create jobs and continue to grow."

The last commercial carrier serving the Moses Lake area was Big Sky Airlines, which eliminated trips to Spokane and Seattle and switched the route to Portland and Boise, Baldwin said. The route change was done to save money, although most business people traveled to Seattle, he added.

The port submitted the application, with help from a consultant and input from the Grant County Economic Development Council, Moses Lake Chamber of Commerce and the port, Baldwin said.

The EDC hired a consultant to help the port create the advertising and marketing portion of the application, he said.