Boutique Air (4B, San Francisco) has been awarded a USD3.2million Essential Air Services (EAS) contract for Clovis Municipal, New Mexico, by the US Department of Transportation. Beginning June 1, 2014, and ending on May 31, 2016, Boutique Air will offer 18 nonstop, weekly return flights to Dallas/Fort Worth on-board a Pilatus PC-12.
A competing USD2.8million bid from SeaPort Airlines (Portland International) entailing 12 weekly round-trip flights to Dallas Love Field via Abilene Regional, Texas, using a 9-seater Cessna (single turboprop) Caravan was rejected on the grounds that the stop in Abilene would reduce the number of seats available to Clovis passengers from 9 to 4.5.
The eastern New Mexico town has been without scheduled air services since January when previous EAS operator, Great Lakes Airlines (Cheyenne), abruptly ended its flights.
