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Passengers deplane from a RetrievAir plane at Republic Airport on Friday.

Passengers deplane from a RetrievAir plane at Republic Airport on Friday. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.

A new airline operating out of Republic Airport in East Farmingdale is drawing concerns from nearby residents who worry the airport is moving closer to allowing commercial flights.

Residents who live within the flight patterns of Republic have long voiced worries about it becoming more like Long Island MacArthur Airport in Ronkonkoma, which has scheduled, commercial flights on large airlines. With the start of scheduled flights by RetrievAir at Republic last month, the community is questioning whether this is the start of larger planes and more frequent flights over their homes.

RetrievAir is a flight service for pet lovers who want to fly with their cats or dogs of any size. The company is using planes that typically have room for 50 passengers but have been revamped to 30 seats to accommodate the pets. 

In a letter to airport and local officials in April, Long Island Civic Alliance president Nancy Cypser said the community is “alarmed” by RetrievAir’s operations. The alliance comprises eight civic associations in the area.

“Allowing this service opens the door to other operators that want to offer regularly scheduled commercial flights,” she wrote.

On RetrievAir, passengers and their pets can fly from Thursday to Sunday between Republic and Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, and Tampa and Fort Lauderdale in Florida. Though the flights are scheduled, the number of flights into and out of Republic varies from week to week based on demand, RetrievAir spokeswoman Kelley DeVincentis said.

RetrievAir CEO Benton Miller said last week there’s been six flights   through Republic so far with about 60 “pet families” traveling.

A public charter

The U.S. Department of Transportation considers RetrievAir to be a public charter, which is defined as a "one-way or round-trip charter flight to be performed by one or more direct air carriers that is arranged and sponsored by a charter operator." 

DeVincentis said in an email to Newsday the company received “federal DOT prospectus approval,” which included Republic as a location, on Feb. 22 and began booking flights March 25.

The state DOT said RetrievAir first contacted that agency on May 13 and an operating permit was issued May 22, prior to the carrier’s first flight that day.

Miller, RetrievAir's CEO, told Newsday the airline is intended to fill a “niche market” and gives pet parents an option often not available on commercial flights. He said a one-way ticket out of Republic starts at about $810 including all fees and taxes, and can go to more than $2,000, depending on the destination. 

According to the state DOT, there are 10 charter operators overall approved for Republic, and FAA Air Traffic Control reported 459 charter flights weekly at Republic last year.

State DOT spokesman Glenn Blain said RetrievAir and companies that fly from Republic to Atlantic City "operate similar charter flights, however RetrievAir operates less frequently and with fewer passengers." 

He further noted federal regulations do not consider these public charters to be “scheduled." 

Cypser said RetrievAir flights are “completely different” from Atlantic City charters because the RetrievAir trips are scheduled. She cited an email she shared with Newsday in which airport director Anthony Ceglio told the group Atlantic City flights are “chartered by a casino operator that does not circulate a schedule.”

Ceglio attempted to reassure the group in another email that Republic “lacks the infrastructure required” for large commercial flights, such as those out of MacArthur “including suitable terminal facilities, TSA screening, and long-term parking accommodations.”

'We are not commercial'

The state DOT echoed that sentiment in a statement emailed to Newsday, with Blain saying the facility is a “general aviation airport that supports recreational and business flying” and that there are “no regularly scheduled commercial service flights.”

The state DOT “has no plans to allow or initiate such services in the future,” Blain wrote.

Miller said he “completely understands and respects” the concerns of residents, but that the company is federally regulated as a public charter.

“We are not commercial and we don’t plan on becoming commercial,” he said, noting the company’s use of smaller, quieter planes and limited schedule of flights.

Despite Miller’s assurances, Cypser said the company’s operations are “much larger” than a charter service and noted the planes it is using are “not small by Republic standards.” She said residents are worried that should RetrievAir become a hit with animal lovers, air traffic will build.

Further, she said, “once you allow something like this, it’s just a loophole way of getting smaller commercial flights in.”

Miller said the company has no plans to expand at this time but would be open to meeting with residents should it increase the number of flights.

“It’s not that the community is upset with this service,” Cypser said. “We just don’t believe it should be flying out of Republic.”

RetrievAir

Purpose:  Flights for pet owners and their cats or dogs

Began Republic Airport service: May 22

Cities served: Los Angeles, Denver, Dallas, Chicago, and Tampa and Fort Lauderdale in Florida

One-way ticket costs: Start at $810

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