American recants, retains one previously canceled flight

RENO, Nev. - American Airlines has changed its mind about one of the 17 daily flights it was going to ax in Reno and says it will continue to provide its morning service to Chicago.

''This is a monumental decision,'' Krys Bart, executive director of the Airport Authority of Washoe County said on Wednesday. ''I think American listened to us. It shows that Reno is important to them.''

American announced April 10 it was eliminating 29 daily flights in Nevada while adding three in Las Vegas effective July 2.

This threw the Reno airport into a financial tailspin since the 17 flights represent about 17 percent of its passenger volume, worth about $2 million a year.

Most of the canceled flights were routes previously run by Reno Air, which American bought last year.

Sen. Richard Bryan,D-Nev., who lobbied American to continue full service at least through the end of the year, said he wasn't sure the company could legally end the Chicago run.

When United Airlines stopped flying to Chicago seven or eight years ago, it left Reno with no connection to O'Hare International Airport and Bryan intervened with then-Transportation Secretary Federico Pena to let Reno Air take over the slots through a special set-aside program.

''It may very well be that American could not drop this flight because of the special circumstances. It may be they were obligated to continue those flights as successor to Reno Air,'' he said.

Bryan sits on the aviation subcommittee of the Senate Science, Commerce and Transportation Committee and has been talking with Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater about American's right to drop the route.

He and Bart both praised Wednesday's announcement, noting that Chicago is a key link with the East Coast and the Midwest as well as Europe and Canada.

''Chicago is a gateway portal. It is very important to Northern Nevada's economy,'' Bryan said.

Bart said the three daily Reno-Chicago flights represent 303,647 seats a year and the morning flight represents the potential for 100,000 people a year in and out of the Reno airport.

She said the entire Nevada congressional delegation had joined Reno-area airport and tourism officials in lobbying American to restore some of the cuts and added that talks were continuing with American and with other carriers in an effort to restore some of the West Coast service American is eliminating.

American now is eliminating 16 of its 28 flights in and out of Reno and 12 of 33 in Las Vegas, while adding three others there. Its plans for McCarran International Airport are unchanged, spokeswoman Debbie Millett said Wednesday.