Mesaba Airlines has served notice that it no longer wants to play second fiddle to Express Airlines I when Northwest Airlines orchestrates the distribution of its next tranche of regional jets. Eyeing an opportunity to grab a piece of a firm order for 75 Bombardier CRJ440s placed by Northwest last year, the Minneapolis-based Airlink affiliate has redoubled its efforts to improve its competitive standing after watching Northwest’s wholly owned subsidiary from Memphis feast off a diet of 42 fifty-seat CRJs ordered by the major airline in 1999.
While reporting on the company’s fiscal third-quarter financial results (ending December 31), Mesaba CEO Paul Foley applauded the airline’s improvements in on-time performance, from 69.4 percent during the same period a year ago to 88.8 percent, and flight completion rate, from 94.5 percent to 98.7. In addressing cost control, Foley could not issue a review quite as sanguine, as higher landing fees, insurance and security expenditures increased unit costs from 14.4 cents to 15.8 cents during the period. He stressed, however, that the airline’s austerity efforts yielded significant drops in payroll, training, vendor and discretionary expenses.
