Merced Regional Airport Authority Meeting Agenda Summary - April 21, 2026
Merced Regional Airport Authority Meeting - April 21, 2026
This summary is based on the raw transcript; no agenda or minutes were available. The meeting was held on 2026-04-21 at 14:45 UTC. After roll call and the Pledge of Allegiance, the authority reviewed the annual attendance report and the Advanced Airlines quarterly marketing report, then adjourned on a motion and second.
Roll Call and Opening
- Roll call confirmed present: Cheryl Hirsch, Robert Scoble (Chair), Delvina Johnson, Sabrina Baum, and Serafina Silva.
- The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
Operational Update and Advertising Discussion
- Staff described strong activity, with planes full and one cargo arrival and one cargo departure each day.
- An authority member asked whether there is advertising at UC Merced; staff responded that carriers are targeting the UC audience, including students, staff, and professional services.
- Staff explained that the interline/code-share agreements help flights appear in booking systems, including with Alaska Airlines now and across more carriers after July.
- Staff noted that Contour Air is responsible for marketing under its agreement and will make a presentation once underway.
- Staff mentioned that major public institutions have already approached the airport about advertising, similar to Fresno Airport, which could increase revenue if campaigns perform.
Annual Attendance Report
- Staff noted that the annual attendance report is submitted to the city clerk's office and lists meetings attended and missed, with mid-year appointments designated.
- The report was on page 27 of the packet; members were asked to confirm or challenge the attendance numbers.
- A member requested a spelling correction in the report ('S E F instead of R').
- A member said they would check whether the listed absence should have been marked as excused; staff explained they followed city clerk specifications on excused vs. unexcused absences.
- Discussion clarified why a former member still appeared, because the reporting period starts April 1, not July 1.
Advanced Airlines Quarterly Marketing Report
- Staff presented the quarterly marketing report (Item E4, 26-313; page 32) submitted under the Essential Air Service contract.
- The report covered Advanced Airlines' flights to Hawthorne and Las Vegas, including an interline/code-share agreement with Alaska Airlines and transfer connectivity with United, Alaska, and American Airlines.
- Marketing efforts highlighted in the report included the 'Added Altitude' in-flight magazine with open and click rates, Instagram and Facebook engagement, website traffic, print and social campaigns, a three-day travel guide for Merced/Yosemite, promotions, giveaways, and a church and school fundraiser.
- The report also noted memberships and sponsorships, including with a local Hispanic chamber of commerce and the Merced County Farm Bureau.
- Staff reported that Las Vegas and Los Angeles ridership has been about 50-50, flights are full on Wednesdays and Thursdays, and bookings are hard to come by, which was described as a positive sign.
- One authority member said engagement and communication with the community have improved since the start.
Key Outcomes
- The authority reviewed the annual attendance report and the Advanced Airlines quarterly marketing report.
- A spelling correction to the attendance report was requested, and one absence was flagged for possible review.
- No formal vote tally appears in the transcript for the discussion items.
- The meeting was adjourned by motion and second.
Meeting Transcript
It looks like it's a call the meeting to order and get underway. Why don't we start off with the pledge? Karen, you want to go through all the formal stuff? Okay. Cheryl Hirsch. President. Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't. And we started so well. So smooth. What? Do we did we stall here for a second? Yes, we're waiting for that video. We lost the video's not online. Okay. Perhaps you guys are quite every three minutes forward. So we could coordinate. No, I don't think I've got a property council. So you want to have to wait just a moment until they get the we're back. Okay. You want to start from the from roll call. Yeah. Cheryl Hirsch. Present. So so he'll say hell. Present. Robert Scoble, Chair. Present. Delvina Johnson. Sabrina Baum. President. And Serafina Silva. Present. So we start with uh the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. If you'd all join me. Please submit the completed card to the regional airport authority clerk before the item is called, preferably before the meeting begins. Material may be emailed to Fly Mercedes Airport at City of Merced.org. The forty the thirty one thousand mark, so they are going in and out quite often full, which has been great to see. So you can see people are buying a lot of items and the planes are full, the cargo side. And again, that's one departure and one arrival with the cargo aircraft. On the patch of the aircraft that are currently operating, though we're dealing with uh six, eight passengers. A passenger flights, yeah, those are full. If you go to the website right now, try to book. Uh those flights are they're hard to come by now, which is great, that's the goal is that we're selling out our flights, so we're moving the right direction. We're gonna step up to third. Yes, we are. Thank you. Do we advertise in UC Marseille or uh the new cartoon line and I think both carriers are targeting that UC audience for uh staff for the UC and also their students as well and also professional services into the UC as well. How are we making sure that we can get thirty um planes now? What what would be how how would it what businesses and will they target and stuff?
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