SeaPort Airlines is changing its service from northeast Arkansas to Kansas City, Mo., and bidding on new routes to serve northwest Alabama and southwest New Mexico.

SeaPort serves Pendleton with three round trips daily to and from Portland.

Rob McKinney, president of the Portland-based carrier, says hes excited about the change in the daily flights from Jonesboro, Ark., to Kansas City, Mo. It gives passengers an opportunity to make the connections out of two major airports, Memphis International and Kansas City International. The new route is anticipated to drive more traffic in and out of Jonesboro Municipal Airport, he said.

SeaPort asked the federal Department of Transportation in late December to change its service from three round trips daily between Jonesboro and Memphis to two trips to Memphis and one trip to Kansas City. DOT officials approved the change and the flights are scheduled to take off Jan. 30.

In northwest Alabama, SeaPort has bid on providing commercial air service to the Muscle Shoals area after Delta Airlines pulls out. SeaPort is one of four companies that has submitted proposals for the federal-essential air service subsidy in the area.

Delta Airlines announced in November it would not bid on the EAS contract because it would no longer have an aircraft suitable for the market after retiring its fleet of Saab 340 turboprop aircraft.

SeaPort provides 100 daily flights in Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Alaska. From northwest Alabama, SeaPort proposes to increase service to Atlanta to three daily non-stop, round-trip flights and two daily non-stop, round trips to Memphis or Nashville. A decision isnt expected until February.

In the southwest, SeaPort is among four airlines bidding on an EAS contract serving the Grant County Airport in Silver City, N.M. It proposes three direct round trips per day between Clovis, N.M., and Albuquerque, plus three daily round-trip flights between Silver City and Albuquerque to provide service six days a week for 18 round trips weekly.

SeaPort also offered a package including two round trips daily between Clovis and Albuquerque, and two between Silver City and Albuquerque, providing service seven days a week.