BANDON — Southwest Oregon Regional Airport’s southbound flights are doing well enough for airport officials to begin lobbying for a larger aircraft.

In a genial “town hall” meeting between one of the top brass from SkyWest Airlines and community leaders, it was announced that flights to San Francisco from the North Bend airport have been operating largely without subsidies this year.

“We’re pushing on it,” Mike Lehman, Coos County Airport District chairman said in reference to the need for a bigger plane. “We’re talking about it.”

However, Lehman cautioned that talks are very preliminary and it’s unlikely the district will have a good economic argument for it for at least a year. He said the airport district will be in a better position to look at the possibility next year, assuming the economy has improved.

Michael Thompson, vice president of market development for SkyWest, listened to comments and suggestions from community leaders Tuesday during a luncheon at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort, hosted by resort general manager Hank Hickox. The dialogue was generally upbeat, though Thompson did acknowledge the airline’s transition from Horizon Air — which dropped its North Bend service last year — hasn’t been smooth.

“We all need to admit that the first year was interesting,” said Thompson.

Among the areas for improvement is the need to better accommodate golfers and their cargo. Occasionally, golfers boarding the flight to North Bend to hit the links at Bandon Dunes are asked to offload clubs because of their potential to upset weight balance of the small aircraft.

It’s a frustration that could be resolved with a larger aircraft, Hickox said after the meeting. 

Another need for improvement lies in the airline’s ridership to Portland, though Lehman noted northbound flights have been full this summer. He said the airport board is brainstorming solutions to boost northbound ridership year-round. One solution would be for the airline to establish an agreement with another airline service that offers more connecting flights, Lehman explained after the meeting.

Though none of that is likely anytime soon, he added.

“Those discussions are very complex,” he said.

Airport officials announced plans to step up marketing efforts to raise awareness about the airline and its services. The airport’s 2010 budget includes $100,000 for marketing, which came from a $400,000 grant from the Federal Aviation Administration, Lehman said.

“SkyWest has put us into a new line of business and that is marketing,” said Gary LeTellier, Southwest Oregon Regional Airport executive director.

SkyWest, however, has no money for marketing the North Bend service. Thompson said that 96 percent of SkyWest’s business comes from contracting services with United Airlines and Delta.

“The people in this community will determine the success of the airport,” he said.