AIRLINE SERVICE ON HOLD VEGAS FLIGHTS DELAYED 1 MONTH.

Byline: Jim Skeen Staff Writer

PALMDALE - After waiting six years for the return of airline service, Antelope Valley will have to wait one more month for the start of Scenic Airlines service to Las Vegas.

After initially targeting March 1 for its start, Scenic Airlines now is planning to start its Palmdale service on April 2. The new date is the result of a variety of factors, including hiring staff and working through a security issue with federal regulators and the Air Force.

``It was the result of a lot of things,'' Mitzi Daines, the airline's director of business development, said of the new date. ``There's a lot of things that go into starting up service, like hiring a station manager. We didn't have enough time.''

The airline, best known for its Grand Canyon sightseeing flights, plans to offer 10 round trips per week between Palmdale Regional Airport and Las Vegas. The airline will use 19-seat propeller-driven DeHavilland Twin Otter aircraft, which it uses for its Grand Canyon flights.

``We're trying to design the flight schedule around the Palmdale passengers. We're starting flights in the morning so they have plenty of time to connect with other flights,'' Daines said.

Return flights on the weekends will be in the evening to accommodate passengers who have gone to Las Vegas for the weekend.

One issue that has to be resolved before flights can begin is security arrangements. The Air Force has expressed concern about the lack of screening of passengers and baggage at the Palmdale airport terminal, which is near defense plants on Air Force Plant 42.

Palmdale Regional Airport operates out of a terminal on land leased from the Air Force Plant 42 and it uses the installation's taxiways and runways.

``Our preference is to screen both incoming and outgoing passengers,'' said Lt. Col. Ronald Ortiz, the installation's commander. ``You have to realize we're not like a commercial airport. We are trying to support commercial passenger service, but we have other customers who support the Defense Department and NASA.''

Los Angeles World Airports, which operates the Palmdale Regional Airports, is in discussions with the Air Force, Scenic Airlines, and the federal Transportation Security Administration on the security concerns.

``We are talking with the TSA and Scenic Airlines on the best way to provide security,'' said LAWA spokesman Dennis Watson. ``We will work with the TSA to ensure we had the kind of security measures they require in place.''

Under rules set up by the Transportation Security Administration, an agency created in the wake of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the airline is required to do a criminal background check on aircraft crew members and certain ground-support personnel; take measures to keep passengers away from the aircraft's flight cabin; and to check passenger's identifications against a no-fly list.

Because the airline uses planes seating only 19, it is not required to screen passengers or baggage.

Hollis Osborn, the airline's director of security, said he believed the Air Force's concerns could be resolved within a few days.

Scenic Airlines plans to target the recreation market - people in Southern California wanting to head off to Las Vegas for the casinos and shows and people in Las Vegas, including international tourists, wanting to see Southern California attractions such as Magic Mountain and Universal Studios.

The company also expects that fliers will find cheaper fares for connecting flights out of Las Vegas than out of Los Angeles International Airport.

Expected ticket prices were not disclosed. Flights are expected to take about 40 minutes each way. The planes will land in North Las Vegas, with the company planning to offer free transfers to and from McCarran International Airport, Las Vegas' main airport.

Founded in 1967, the company started out offering sightseeing flights of the Grand Canyon. The company's operations expanded to include flights to Bryce Canyon and Monument Valley in Utah; Sedona, Ariz.; and Yosemite and Lake Powell.

Prior to the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the airline was serving about 550,000 passengers a year. That number dropped to around 250,000 after the attacks.

After the 9-11 attacks, the company diversified its operations to include regional air service, offering service out of Ely, Nev., and Merced, Calif. Those routes are subsidized by the federal government under a program aimed at restoring air service to communities that lost airlines as the result of airline deregulation.

Palmdale has been without an airline since February 1998, when United Express pulled out. Palmdale officials, Los Angeles World Airports, Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael D. Antonovich and various civic groups have been working to attract an airline to the city.

Commuter airlines United Express, America West and SkyWest operated out of the Palmdale Regional Airport terminal at U.S. Air Force Plant 42 in the 1990s - sometimes two airlines at a time. All of the airlines pulled out after failing to generate profits with their Palmdale operations.

Passenger volume at Palmdale was highest in 1990, the year both America West and SkyWest started service after a five-year lapse. Passengers traveling through the Palmdale terminal numbered more than 48,500 in 1990, but dwindled to fewer than 19,400 by 1997.

Jim Skeen, [phone]

james.skeen(at)dailynews.com