Fly from Rockford and Shreveport to Branson

(MoneyWatch)  I just came across this week-old article about ExpressJet operating thrice weekly service from Rockford to Branson, and I had to do a double take. What the heck? Then I remember it was Rockford. Of course, they're paying for it, but at least they got Branson to chip in as well. I actually kind of like this one.

The plan is for ExpressJet to fly three times a week between Rockford and Branson (Missouri) between November 7 and December 14. Apparently Branson is a big Christmas destination (who knew?) so this is trying to capture some of that traffic from people who want to get in the holiday spirit. BusinessRockford.com has the details.

Branson and Rockford will split the cost of the operation 50/50, so ExpressJet is just acting as a charter operator and has no skin in the game. Branson is also doing this with Shreveport, Louisiana. According to Rockford, the potential loss here is $30,000 and that's not a ton of money if they honestly think this is a viable route.

Personally, I will be surprised to see this work out as a proof-of-concept for a year-round route, but as a public charter operation bringing people to Branson for the holidays, it's actually a pretty good idea. Rockford has been active in the past at paying for service, but generally I thought the ideas were pretty bad. This may be the first that has a chance to work - at least around the holidays.