A couple of weeks ago, it looked like turbulent times at the Johnstown Cambria County Airport, after their current carrier SkyWest Airlines told them they wanted to pull out of their Essential Air Service contract in Johnstown and in other places across the country, due to industry-wide pilot shortages.

Since then, however, SkyWest and the airport have been working to find a solution to keep SkyWest here. However, the airport has been looking at bids from other airlines to see if they would come here if SkyWest does pull out.

The U.S. Department of Transportation has been receiving proposals for the airport after SkyWest said in March they needed to pull out of 29 communities where they have EAS contracts, including Johnstown. Since then, airport manager Cory Cree said the airport authority and SkyWest have been looking for a solution to continue to keep SkyWest and their 50-seat jets in Johnstown, with some “scheduling flexibility”

“Our number one goal is to retain SkyWest and our second goal is to continue to have jet service here,” Cree said. “We’re still discussing with SkyWest in trying to look at any options to keep them here because the community is utilizing them and supporting that service.”

Right now, SkyWest flies daily to and from Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles airports under the United Express banner.

If a deal isn’t reached with SkyWest, two of the new proposals would keep jet service in Johnstown: Contour Airlines, which flies 30-seat jets and has an interline agreement with American Airlines, and Cool Air.

The other two are familiar to local travelers. Boutique Air and Southern Airways Express both held contracts for small eight or nine seat planes prior to SkyWest’s arrival in December 2020.

“At that point, the U.S. DOT will take our recommendation into consideration, and they would select the air carrier,” Cree said.

Since SkyWest began its service in Johnstown, the airport has seen its outbound numbers reach their highest levels since 2007. It is a big reason why Cree hopes the airport is able to find a way to keep SkyWest but also cites it as a reason why he says so many airlines bid for the contract.

“That goes back to the community using the airport and utilizing the service of SkyWest,” Cree said “I think that ridership and community evolvement with flying out of Johnstown now has attracted those other air carriers to look and see that Johnstown is a good place to be and to fly out of.”

An Airport Authority committee will look at the proposals sometime next week, with the recommendation due soon to US DOT. If another carrier is chosen, they would be in place 60-90 days after the agreement is finalized with the US DOT, with SkyWest remaining in place throughout any sort of transition.