Chart flight program taking off

A new charter flight program through the Mount Pleasant Municipal Airport has been off to a slow start since it began in November.

But the program still has exceeded the expectations of Allen Bryan, co-owner of M-Z Air Charter and an airport advisory board member.

The program through M-Z Air Charter provides flights out of Mount Pleasant to parts of the Midwest, including Chicago, New York City, Mackinaw City and Detroit, among others. So far, approximately 12 to 15 flights have gone out.

“It’s a tough time of year to secure business, but we’ve been pleasantly surprised. It’s heartening to see that our endeavor is paying off,” Bryan said. “We hope it will pick up in the spring and summer. I think a lot of people out there don’t even know we exist.”

Airport manager John Benzinger said the program has been discussed for the last four or five years.

A local charter flight program became a noticed necessity, he said, since officials realized that people were using charter flights through other companies throughout the state.

“It was like, ‘Well, why aren’t we doing it?’” Benzinger said. “It’s not for everybody. Charters are usually set up for businesses. It’s what we needed.”

Flights are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and parking at the airport is free.

“It makes it so nice for people,” fellow co-owner Barb Grewe said. “We are priced way under a turbo (jet) and maybe only have a 10 to 20 minute difference in speed.”

The inspiration

Grewe helped conceptualize the idea while her father was ill and needed to be transported to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. regularly.

She had to hire an outside charter and was inspired to bring one locally to Mount Pleasant.

“The price is the same no matter how many people are on board. With six people, it’s pretty affordable,” Bryan said. “It’s really a nice way to get around.”

Flights vary in purpose, whether people are traveling to golf outings or business trips. Grewe also thinks it’s a great resource for Central Michigan University students who need to catch flights at other airports or for students who have summer classes at Beaver Island.

It typically takes four to five hours to get to Beaver Island by car and ferry from Mount Pleasant, Grewe said, and M-Z Air Charter can make the trip in 55 minutes.

Hesperia freshman Dave Peacock was unaware Mount Pleasant even had an airport, but he likes the idea of a charter flight.
“It’s like a taxi cab that flies,” Peacock said. “If I was going somewhere and needed to get there in a hurry, it would be convenient.”

Charter flights have helped Grewe in the past by allowing her to be there for the birth of her granddaughter in South Carolina.
“There are so many people that need to get places,” Grewe said. “We’re here to make travel more convenient.”

For more information on the program, contact the airport at 772-2965.