By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Mike Konz, chairman of the Hays Airport Advisory Board, believes the inception of regional jet service at the local airport will be a “catalyst” for passenger boardings to increase.

SkyWest, flying as United Express, began operating between Hays and Denver on Aug. 1. If passenger boardings reach 10,000 within a one-year period, the city of Hays becomes eligible for a $1 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Konz was among a large crowd of local residents that gathered to welcome the first United Express flight into Hays.

“We previously had 19-seat turboprop airplanes being used by the former carrier,” he said. “Now we have 50-seat jets. That offers a great opportunity. I’m really excited about the new service.”

Konz said even people who don’t like to fly might be encouraged to do so because of the “nicer flying environment” in the jet:

“Reliability on this airplane will be better, with a lot nicer flying environment — smoother,” he said. “Other Kansas communities that have switched from turbo-prop service like we used to have to jet service have seen an increase in their passenger boardings. We looked at Manhattan, and they’ve really grown.  Dodge City and Garden City are also now flying jets and they’ve seen their customer count really increase.

“I think Hays has a really great opportunity to draw passengers from all across western Kansas.”

Story corrected to reflect accurate boarding figures.