For the Upstate GOP it's always the 1950s, and somewhere a union must be lurking

An Upstate lawmaker this week is expected to propose initiatives to boost airline competition at the state’s airports, including Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, where efforts are underway to lure discount carrier Southwest Airlines.

State Rep. Bill Wylie, a Simpsonville Republican, said the legislation he expects to introduce will center on creating a state-administered fund to help an airline offset startup costs at any of South Carolina’s commercial airports.

While Wylie said his measure won’t target a specific airport, local officials believe it will be crucial to their efforts to bring Southwest to GSP — and put downward pressure on local airfares that are among the highest in the nation.

Wylie said he has lined up several sponsors to support the legislation, which would include a fund of approximately $15 million to reimburse certain losses for up to 24 months based on an agreement the airport and a carrier believe is equitable for both sides.

Local business and community officials hope to attract Southwest this year, but an airline spokeswoman said last week “there is no imminent plan” to announce any additional new service for 2010.

“First and foremost with Southwest, it’s not done, and it’s not dead,” Dave Edwards, GSP’s executive director, said in an interview.

“There’s always a possibility of Southwest being able to come in 2010,” he said. “Part of that would be can we assemble something that is of a nature that attracts Southwest to come to the community? I don’t think there’s any question that we have the market here, we have the pent-up desire of this community to have a low-cost, low-fare carrier in the market.”