THX, JohnMacWW - I appreciate the welcome!

Afraid I don't know where to look for load factors on our four daily SFO-MRY Brasilia rotations (I'm sure someone here could tell us!). Anecdotally, I know that the SFO-MRY flights that I've taken recently (including two last month) have been about half-full (maybe a little over). Without performance data on the EMB120 and CRJ200, we can't fairly compare the costs to run those flights with the two aircraft types. I'd guess that the Brasilias consume less fuel per seat-mile than the regional jets: Don't turboprops usually fly more pax at a lower rate of fuel consumption? A former SkyWest Brasilia pilot who was based in MRY once told me that SkyWest rarely fills all 27 seats in the EMB120 on the SFO-MRY rotations b/c of weight restrictions: Those flights often have to carry golf clubs in the cargo hold, reducing the number of pax who can be carried in the cabin. She also indicated that maintenance costs on the Brasilia were rising considerably owing to the age of the airframes (understandably).

With its seating capacity of just under 30, the workhorse Brasilia has filled a niche that can't presently be filled by newer aircraft, other than maybe the ATR42 (which is still considerably bigger). I think Skywest's decision to go all-jet in its fleet renewal signals a pretty transparent move away from truly regional service to small, economically marginal markets like MRY. The airport can easily accommodate jet aircraft like the EMB175 (as I mentioned earlier, MRY used to see aircraft as large as the B757 at least once per day), but the flow of fare-paying pax is probably the main reason for the volatility with which airlines adjust their schedules. At the moment, air service at MRY is pretty minimal (anyone interested can download the current schedule of flights at http://www.montereyairport.com/images/December_1.pdf ). I can't recall exact dates, but we've seen quite a few ups and downs. UA pulled out in the early 2000s, leaving UAX with its SFO and LAX flights; the now-defunct MRY-DEN rotation was a terrific addition at the time (around 2005, I think) - only one daily flight, but it was initially operated with CRJ700 equipment, which offered C and Economy Plus seating. For a short time, US Airways Express offered one MRY-LAS flight, on top of its established 2-3x/daily CRJ200 flights to PHX. Also short-lived was the Delta Connection 1x/day flight to SLC. During the time that it operated commuter routes in CA, ExpressJet offered MRY-ONT and MRY-SAN flights (1x/day on each, and maybe more); XJ also had plans to open MRY-SMF, but they shut down before inaugurating that run. Allegiant still flies its MD83s from MRY to LAS twice per week (at quite irregular times) - must be making $$$ on that operation. Allegiant also flew MRY to SAN when it first arrived, but that flight proved unprofitable.

I worry about further cuts, which will naturally result in higher fares. I'd love to know if anyone has any insights into UAX's plans for MRY after the retirement of its Brasilia fleet.