Mainly a general aviation airport, Pellston Regional Airport also functions as the primary commercial airport for the sparsely populated northern tip of Michigan's Lower Peninsula, owing to its location halfway between the region's primary cities, Petoskey and Cheboygan, as well as its proximity to the tourist centers of Mackinaw City and Mackinac Island. One commercial airline, SkyWest (doing business as Delta Connection), currently serves Pellston Regional with three departures and three arrivals daily.[5]
The 35,000-square-foot (3,252 m2) northern lodge-themed passenger terminal building was constructed in 2003 and designed by architect Paul W. Powers. The new passenger terminal building replaced a smaller terminal building that was demolished. Wireless internet service is available throughout the terminal at no charge to travelers.
The airport has commercial service on Delta Air Lines with regional jets operated by SkyWest Airlines. SkyWest generated controversy when it announced plans to operate Essential Air Service (EAS) flights to Pellston as tag flights from Detroit continuing on to Escanaba, another EAS community, and then ending in Minneapolis. The airline cited pilot shortages for the need to condense their flights to the two cities. Both communities objected and threatened to call their U.S. Senators, and SkyWest ended the tag services after a month of flying them. However, more plans for tag flights were expected to take effect in December 2022, operating from Detroit to Pellston to Alpena and then back to Detroit.[6][7]
The airport received $1,000,000 in 2020 as part of the federal CARES act to maintain operations and receive upgrades during the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]
Pellston Regional Airport covers an area of 1,675 acres (678 ha) and contains two asphalt paved runways: 14/32 measures 6,513 by 150 feet (1,985 m × 46 m) and 5/23 is 5,401 by 150 feet (1,646 m × 46 m).[2]
For the 12-month period ending April 30, 2022, the airport has about 12,000 aircraft operations, or about 32 per day. This includes 84% general aviation, 15% commercial, and <1% military. For the same time period, there are 32 aircraft based on the field: 23 single-engine and 5 multi-engine airplanes as well as 4 jet aircraft.[2][9]
The airport operates an FBO offering fuel, a courtesy shuttle, conference rooms, crew lounges, snooze rooms, and showers.[10]
The current terminal serves as baggage claim, check-in, ticketing, TSA checkpoint and gates. Owing to the airport being very small in size and the number of flights, only two gates are necessary and both are located in the terminal. Since 2009, travel services and offices have been placed at the end of baggage claim. On a normal day, three or four people operate this airport. One airline representative manages check-in, ticketing and works as the gate agent. One is a TSA Senior Agent. The others are ground crew and baggage services. Delta/SkyWest currently has two aircraft in use; both are 76-seat Canadair Regional Jets 700/900 series.
On May 9, 1970, the UAW President, Walter Reuther; his wife, May; architect Oscar Stonorov; Reuther's bodyguard, William Wolfman; and the pilot and co-pilot were killed when their chartered Lear-Jet crashed in flames at 9:33 p.m. Michigan time. The plane, arriving from Detroit in rain and fog, was on final approach to the Pellston airstrip near the union's recreational and educational facility at Black Lake.[13] The Learjet 23, operated by Executive Jet Aviation and registered as N434EJ, crashed into trees and caught fire short of the runway. An investigation concluded that illusions produced by the lack of visual cues during a circling approach over unlighted terrain at night to a runway not equipped with approach lights or other visual approach aids caused the crash. The aircraft was written off; there were six fatalities.[14]
On May 13, 1978, a brand new Piper Cheyenne with less than twenty hours had a controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) two miles from the departure end of Runway 32 after failing to land at Boyne Falls airport. The NTSB investigation concluded the pilot attempted to land below published minimums for the instrument landing system (ILS) approach. The weather was extremely foggy at the time, with less than 3⁄8-mile (600 m) visibility and 200-foot (61 m) ceiling, while the approach called for a 600-foot (180 m) ceiling and 2-mile (3.2 km) visibility. A contributing factor was the finding that the middle marker for Runway 32 was not functioning at the time, possibly contributing to the disorientation of the pilot and his location relative to the airfield. The aircraft was destroyed; there were three fatalities.
On January 21, 1999, a Beechcraft Baron had a CFIT while on an ILS approach to the airport. The probable cause was found to be the pilot's failure to maintain altitude and terrain clearance on approach and flight into known icing conditions, as a Saab 340 operated by Mesaba Airlines had earlier reported moderate icing below 3,000 feet while on approach to Pellston. Contributing factors include the pilot's intoxication, the icing conditions, known equipment deficiencies in the aircraft, and trees on the impacted hill.[15] The pilot and two passengers died.
On February 10, 2007, a Piper Cherokee Six crashed northeast of the airport. The aircraft lost engine power and came to rest in a wooded area. All four aboard survived.[16]
On January 15, 2013, a Cessna 208B Cargomaster, operated by Martinaire and registered as N1120N, crashed shortly after takeoff from Pellston Regional Airport. It came down in a wooded area; there was one fatality.[17][18]
Ninety-Day Notice (July 15, 2011): Mesaba Aviation, Inc., and Pinnacle Airlines, Inc., each a certificated carrier, hereby give notice of intent to discontinue the current service provided at Pellston, MI, effective October 13, 2011. Mesaba and/or Pinnacle provide service to the community, operating on a fee-for-service basis as “Delta Connection” carriers. Delta has notified Mesaba and Pinnacle that Delta can no longer economically continue this service. Delta is in the process of retiring all turboprop and numerous small jet aircraft operated by Mesaba and Pinnacle. All of the Saab 340 aircraft operated by Mesaba for Delta Connection will be retired by year end. Delta has notified Mesaba and Pinnacle that high fuel costs and low passenger demand further necessitate the filing of this notice. We intend to submit a bid to provide continued service under the EAS program at subsidy rates that will enable us to cover the cost of the operation and a reasonable return on investment.
Order 2012-4-10 (April 6, 2012): selecting Delta Air Lines, Inc., to provide essential air service (EAS) at Chisholm/Hibbing, Minnesota, and Escanaba, Pellston, and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, for $2,517,770, $2,833,558, $1,055,361, and $1,676,136, respectively. At Pellston, the service is to consist of 12 nonstop round trips per week to Detroit in the off-peak, and 14 per week in the peak period. At Sault Ste. Marie, the service will be 13 round trips per week year round. At the remaining two communities, service is to consist of 12 nonstop round trips per week year round. All service is to be operated with 50-seat CRJ-200 aircraft.
Order 2013-10-8 (October 21, 2013): reselecting Delta Air Lines, Inc., to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Pellston and Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan; and SkyWest Airlines, at Paducah, Kentucky; Hancock/Houghton, and Muskegon, Michigan; and Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Order also tentatively reselects American Airlines, at Watertown, New York. Pellston, Michigan: Docket 2011-0133; Effective Period: November 1, 2013, through January 31, 2016; Service: Off peak: Twelve (12) nonstop round trips per week to Detroit (DTW); Peak: Fourteen (14) nonstop round trips per week to Detroit (DTW) with CRJ-200 Aircraft; Annual Subsidy: $1,077,413.
