SUDDENLY, EVERYONE WANTS TO FLY FRONTERA

By Juan Montoya No sooner had Bob Hendrick, president of Brownsville-based Pan American Airways Inc., heard that a regional airline – Fly Frontera – was ready to go before the city commission to apply for incentives like members granted American Airlines, that he decided he wanted to get on the gravy line as well. It didn't matter that Hendrick's Pan Am Airways hasn't had a takeoff or a landing in the two years he has been out at the Brownsville-Padre Island International Airport. The fact that someone else could come in and promised to establish air service between Monterrey, Tampico and Brownsville in less than two months (June 1) after city commission approval didn't sit well with Kendrick. Then, apparently acting under the guidance of a certain disbarred legal eagle, he went ahead and registered the Air Frontera name with the Texas Secretary of State in an attempt to ground their application. And now, on the eve of the city commission decision (during Tuesday's meeting) on whether to grant the new airline the incentives to guarantee passengers on the 32-seat airplanes, Kendrick and his counsel will try to ground the air service to these northern Mexico cities that everyone agrees Brownsville needs to become a competitive destination for capital and business driven out of the violence-wracked region. But, just how does Fly Frontera stack with Pan Am? On the registration issue, it appears that Kendrick has been the recipient of bad advice. We all kow where that's coming from. Fly Frontera's representative before the Brownsville Greater Incentives Corporation was Carlos Quintanilla, the president of Accion America, a grassroots community organization. Local blogger Robert Wightman has made it clear that he will try to spoil the plans for Fly Frontera to begin service unless the company's president Jim Gallagher dumps Quintanilla, who alerted the firm to the opportunities here and lured them to make their presentation to the city. Why do people listen to Wightman when it's so obviously a personal vendetta he has against Quintanilla that is driving this campaign against Fly Frontera? Wightman charges that Quintanilla is a convicted felon. But, then again, so was Charles Colson, Howard Hunt, Abel Limas, Nelson Mandela, Malcolm X, etc. Do we merely pay lip service to rehabilitation of people who break the law and then pay their dues and emerge to serve the public to contribute positively to society? This campaign of hate and innuendo has taken a very nasty turn to the point where the service that the community has needed and sought for years, nay decades, could slip through our fingers simply because someone doesn't like the messenger. Getting down to the nuts and bolts of the question, can Pan Am compete and deliver vis-a-vis fly Frontera? These questions need to be answered by fair-minded people. As far as the name Fly Frontera, we should know that Fly Frontera was registered first by Public Charters, Gallagher's outfit as a Pennsylvania corporation months ago, and that the attempt by Hendrick can only be construed as malicious and intentional with only one purpose in mind, to interfere with the execution of a contract with the City of Brownsville. Unlike Pan Am, Public Charters has planes registered with Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration. Pan Am does not. A Fly Frontera plane carrying 23 members of the Aviation commission, GBIC and City Commissioners has already touched the tarmac at the Brownsville South Padre Island airport. After two years in the business occupying a prime spot at the airport, Pan Am has failed to do this once. Fly Frontera has its certification as a 121 Indirect air carrier under Public Charters and Charter Air Transport, Pan Am does not. Ask Hendrick if, like Fly Frontera under Public Charters, Pan Am has a bond that guarantees passenger refunds. It does not. And if people think that Fly Frontera will be hustling passengers through a piddly media campaign, be aware that Fly Frontera is linked to the international reservations system that allows anyone on the internet to instantly book online and also allows for travel agents anywhere throughout the world to book reservations on fly Frontera. Pan Am, last time we checked, does not. Getting down to the subject at hand, ask Hendrick whether Pan Am has permission and authorizations to fly into Mexico. Fly Frontera does and Pan Am does not. Projections for Fly Frontera are that more than 40,000 passengers will fly though the Brownsville airport generating $8,000,000 in spending in the local communities. This is not inclusive of new business development, home purchases and other cash investments. Fly Frontera plans to spend more than $200,000 promoting Brownsville throughout Mexico and the United States. Already, numerous publications have carried the Fly Frontera story such as Excelsior, El Norte, Televisa, Azteca, Milenio, El Informador, Jornada, Uno mas Uno. The gist of the stories have to do with signalling Brownsville as the leader in establishing direct flights to Mexico from the Rio Grande Valley. The economic benefits to be derived beside the jobs will be created is that more than $2 million in inventory of spare parts will be relocated to Brownsville, trained pilots will be living here year-round and two multi million dollar aircraft will be positioned here in Brownsville full time. Airport Director Larry Brown, when asked by GBIC members like Neto Games, Ruben Gallegos Jr., Jose Herrera, Mark Sossi, etc., whether due diligence had been done on the principals of the airline, told them that a company had been hired specifically for that purpose and that it had found them "squeaky clean," with both Public Charters and Charter Air transport revealing no irregularities. And, unlike what has been darkly hinted and alleged in irresponsible blogs locally, there are no bankruptcies at either company. To us, it appears that Hendrick has been outclassed in his understanding of city procedure and the ins and outs of acquiring economic development incentives by a serious rival corporation. The response this Tuesday from the city commissioners will indicate whether they're willing to listen to the chisme from those suffering from envy, the green-eyed monster, and lose the opportunity this community has been trying to get for regional air service for decades or whether they'll represent the people's interest as they were elected to do.