Cape Air negotiating to a buy Maryland niche airline

A partnership with Simmons Air is also a possibility

By Walter Brooks

The Ocean City Maryland Daily Times reported on Friday that after struggling to stay afloat in its first four months of operation, Simmons Air officially confirmed Thursday a partnership with Cape Air, one of the largest independent regional airlines in the country headquartered right here on Cape Cod.

Michelle Haynes a spokesperson for of Cape Air however refuted that claim and said that negotiations which may lead to either a partnership of sorts or the outright purchase of Simmons Air are still under way, but at close of business Friday there was no agreement. The two principals will continue negotiations on Monday.

Cape Air President Dan Wolf announcing the $49-50 air fare bewtween Provincetown and Boston for Cape Cod residents.

Simmons Air, which debuted last September, is suspending all flights between Baltimore and Ocean City until Feb. 14, officials said, when scheduled flights will start tentatively at 7 a.m. daily. According to the Daily Times story, Hyannis Air Services Inc., a division of Cape Air, will be providing pilots and planes.

$99 Baltimore to Ocean City, $49.50 Boston to Ptown

Simmons resumes flights, all tickets will be $99 each flight, significantly higher than the $35-one-way fare company began the business with according to president Wayne Simmons . He blamed the fare increase on rising fuel prices. The new, higher price will enable Simmons Air to provide year-round service, officials of the airline said.

The weekly Provincetown Banner reported yesterday that Cape Air announced this week that it would make an even better offer of $49.50 for its Boston to Provincetown route.

Dan Wolf, on left, president of Cape Air announced the reduced fare this past week. The drive time between Baltimore and Ocean City, a summertime vacation Mecca, is almost identical with the drive time between Boston and Provincetown, around two and a half hours.

But to get this Cape Air special fare here, passengers must be residents of the Cape and be able to prove it. The airline’s new fare is a response to a drop in the number of winter passengers and an attempt to get people back in the air again.  Mr. Wolf has a reputation for just this type of user-friendly, innovative marketing.

The addition of Maryland comes at no surprise since Cape Air is spreading its wings across the globe of late with service now in Micronesia, island hopping in the Caribbean, day-tripping between Key West and South Florida or, now, jumping from Guam to the sparkling shores of Rota in the Pacific.

Flying to the eastern shore of Maryland should prove very easy for this 21st century carrier.

Simmons: a colorful figure in Maryland, calls for Chavez's death on Fox-TV 

People this reporter spoke with in Ocean City said that Wayne Simmons is a flamboyant marketer who has a somewhat checkered local rep. The Capital in Annapolis MD named him The 10 most interesting business people of 2005 as #10 in its  here on New Year's Day.

Simmons appears often on Fox-TV, the above is from a recent O'Reilly Factor screed.

A former CIA agent he is also a contributor to FOX News, photo from show on right. Wayne Simmons was on Hannity & Colmes last August 24 to help sanitize Pat Robertson's that the U.S. should assassinate the President of Venezuela. Not only did he endorse Hugo Chavez's hit, but called for more assassinations, the conversation went like this,

Colmes: If we're going to kill him, aren't there some dictators even a little more dangerous to us. Komenhi in Iran, should we kill him? Should we kill Kim Jong II in North Korea, should we knock those guys off too?

Simmons: Yea absolutely... (View his death threats here. It the site defaults to its homepage, click here and scroll down to Simmon's photo for the video.

As an example Simmons made the following statement in the Daily Times yesterday before the negations were finalized with Cape Air.

"It is amazing what can be accomplished with hard work and the right formula," Simmons said in a statement. "We are extremely excited and honored to be paired with a company reputation in the airline industry that is second to none."

According to The Daily Times, Simmons suggested in his statement the joint venture could allow Simmons Air to expand to other cities in the future.

On January 3, 2006 Simmons is quoted in The Capital saying, "Terms of the deal were not disclosed. But Mr. Simmons described the arrangement as a partnership."

Simmons slowed and then halted flights to Ocean City last November after severing ties with his former pilot provider, Hinson Corporate Flight Services, citing a breach of contract. He said he paid out of pocket for chartered flights, hotel stays and van rides for stranded passengers.

Ocean City was already on Cape Air's radar

No longer a "Cape Cod" airline only, our local airline flies a dozen niche markets half way around the globe.

A January 13 story in Ocean City Today stated that  Simmons contacted Hyannis-based Cape Air in mid-November with a proposal to form a partnership, according to Cape Air communications director Michelle Haynes.

Haynes said Cape Air executives were receptive to the idea, as they specialize in niche markets in geographically challenged areas, including Martha’s Vineyard, the Florida Keys and the Micronesian islands. She said the airline had already considered the possibility of starting operations in Ocean City before it heard from Simmons.

“Ocean City was already on our radar,” said Haynes. “It’s a great seasonal market, with good shoulder seasons too.”

Cape Air executives traveled with Simmons to Ocean City in mid-December to tour the airport and check out its facilities. Haynes said all were impressed with what they saw, and were especially amazed to see the wild ponies on Assateague Island as their plane was making its landing.

If a partnership is reached, as Haynes said it likely would be, Cape Air would provide the aircraft, pilots and maintenance services. Simmons Air would continue to market the services and the Ocean City destination.

Cape Air specializes in niche resort towns with year-round attractions. The airline makes nearly 125,000 flights each year.

The  story appeared on Friday in the Salisbury, Maryland Daily Times here.
The Baltimore SUN reported on Saturday here.