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OST-2000-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
http://www.hawaii.gov/dot/airports/molokai/lup/index.htm
| OST-2000-6773 | January 10, 2000 | Re: Notice to Terminate | Thirty-Days Notice to Terminate Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
By: Pacific Wings, Myron Caplan
| OST-00-6773 | January 28, 2000 | Answer of the State of Hawaii | Thirty-Days Notice to Terminate Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
| Service List |
Counsel: Shaw Pittman, Nathaniel Breed, 202.663.8078
| Order 00-2-11 OST-00-6773 |
Issued February 7, 2000 Served February 10, 2000 |
Order Permitting Suspension of Service | 30-Days Notice to Terminate Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
Order 2000-2-11 is granting Pacific Wings, d/b/a Air Nevada, Inc., permission to terminate its air service at Kalaupapa at the end of its 30-days notic
By: Bradley Mims
| OST-00-6773 | February 17, 2000 | Re: State of Hawaii | 30-Days Notice to Terminate EAS at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
Counsel: Shaw Pittman, Nathaniel Breed, 202.663.8078
| Order 00-2-24 OST-00-6773 |
Issued February 18, 2000 Served February 24, 2000 |
Order Selecting Carrier and Setting Final Rate | 30-Days Notice to Terminate Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
| Appendix A: Map | |||
| Appendix B: Annual Subsidy Need | |||
| Appendix C: EAS |
Order 2000-2-24 designates Kalaupapa, Hawaii, as a community eligible to receive subsidized small community air service under 49 U.S.C 41736(a), and selects Air Nevada, Inc., d/b/a Pacific Wings, to provide subsidized air service at the community for a two-year period.
| OST-00-6773 | February 28, 2000 | Re: Request for EAS of Office of the Mayor, County of Maui | 30-Days Notice to Terminate EAS at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
| Service List |
By: Mayor, James Apanar
| OST-00-6773 | April 5, 2000 | Re: EAS Eligibility of Kalauppa, Hawaii | Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Hawaii |
| Service List |
The right of Pacific Wings to terminate its mandated essential air service to Kalaupapa unilaterally and without prior authorization by the Department by giving 30 days notice to the Department and the community of its intent to terminate that service is no longer applicable. Since Kalaupapa is now defined as an "eligible place", the continuation and termination of subsidized essential air service at Kalaupapa is now governed by the mandatory notice and authorization requirements of Section 41734, and, in particular, the requirement that such service may not be terminated unless and until another air carrier is providing the mandated level of essential air service at the community "on a continuing basis" (Section 41734(c)). Although the foregoing amendments are now effective as a matter of law, based on enactment of the AIR-21 Act, the State of Hawaii believes that it is appropriate and desirable for the Department to provide official notice of the revised status of Kalaupapa under the Essential Air Service Program to the community of Kalaupapa, the U.S. National Park Service and Pacific Wings. To accomplish that purpose, Hawaii respectfully requests the Department to issue an Order amending Order 2000-2-24 as soon as possible.
Counsel: Shaw Pittman, Nathaniel Breed, 202.663.8078
| Order 00-4-18 OST-98-4409 OST-00-6773 |
Issued April 18, 2000 Served April 18, 2000 |
Order Eliminating Requirement To Pay a Portion of Compensation for Small Community Air Service | Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii and Show Low, Arizona- Phoenix Sky Harbor |
| Appendix A: Summary of Service to be Provided |
Order 2000-4-18 eliminates the requirement for the communities of Show Low, Arizona, and Kalaupapa, Hawaii, to pay 50 percent of the compensation for small community air service.
By: Bradley Mims
| OST-00-6773 | May 18, 2000 | Letter of Pacific Wings | Thirty-Days Notice to Terminate Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
By: Pacific Wings, Myron Caplan
| OST-97-2833 OST-99-6502 OST-00-6773 |
April 2, 2002 | Request for Proposals | Essential Air Service Proposals for Kamuela, Hawaii and Hana, Hawaii; and Notice to Terminate Essential Air Service at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
I know you have talked over the phone with Kevin Adams
about Pacific Wings submitting a proposal, but time has elapsed and we wanted to
put something on the record. As we advised you by e-mail on January 22, 2002,
your rates at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela were then due to expire soon. One of
your rates has now expired, and two are due to expire soon. Specifically, your
rates were set to expire at Kalaupapa on February 28, at Hana on March 31, and
at Kamuela on April 30, 2002.
By: Dennis DeVany
| OST-00-6773 | April 2, 2002 Docketed April 9, 2002 |
Letter of Pacific Wings Airlines Limited | 30-Days Notice to Terminate EAS at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
By: Pacific Wings, Greg Kahistorf
| Order 02-5-19 OST-97-2833 OST-99-6502 OST-00-6773 |
Issued May 22, 2002 Served May 28, 2002 |
Setting Final Rates and Requesting Proposals | EAS Proposals for Kamuela, Hawaii and Hana, Hawaii; and Notice to Terminate EAS at Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii |
| Exhibits: Map, Annual Compensation, EAS to be Provided |
By this order we are setting a short-term final subsidy rate, retroactive to October 1, 2001, until the rate was set to expire (February 28, 2002) for Pacific Wings' essential air service (EAS) at Kalaupapa in the amount of $283,644 annually. At Hana and Kamuela, the carrier agreed to no changes from the original rates set by Orders 2000-5-2 and 2000426. We are also setting new final rates for all three communities, effective when the prior rates expired until further Department action. Finally, we are also requesting proposals for long-term service at these communities.
By: Read Van de Water
| OST-99-6502 OST-00-6773 OST-97-2833 |
June 14, 2002 Docketed July 5, 2002 |
Proposal of Pacific Wings |
Essential Air Service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii |
We respectfully submit our EAS proposal for Cessna Caravan (CE208) service for the three communities of Kalaupapa, Kamuela, and Hana, Hawaii. The proposed subsidy need is detailed in the attached appendix and is based on our historical service. Kevin and I reached agreement on the numbers after many hours of analysis.
By: Franklin Ford
| OST-00-6773 | July 26, 2002 | Request for Community Comments |
Essential Air Service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii |
As you are probably aware, Pacific Wings currently operates a fleet of several
Cessna 402s that the carrier plans to phase out in favor of factory-new Cessna Caravan aircraft. The Caravan is a single-engine, prop-jet aircraft that Pacific Wings would operate with one pilot. The carrier proposes to continue to operate the same service patterns at both Hana and Kalaupapa that it has operated historically, i.e., Kalaupapa would continue to receive two nonstop round trips a day to Honolulu, and Hana would continue to receive two nonstop round trips a day to Honolulu and two nonstop round trips a day to Kahalui.
For your information, I have enclosed summaries of the subsidy computations for Hana and Kalaupapa, as well as for Kamuela which Pacific Wings serves under the EAS program, that show revenue and expense estimates based on the carrier's experience, adjusted for the new aircraft type. Regarding the fares in the appendix, carriers have the discretion to charge fares they deem appropriate, and the passenger fares presented here have been developed for subsidy rate computation purposes only. We make every effort, though, to negotiate average passenger fares for ratemaking purposes based on system averages realized by the carrier for markets of comparable distance.
By: Dennis DeVany
| Order 02-8-10 OST-99-6502 OST-00-6773 OST-97-2833 |
Issued August 12, 2002 Served August 12, 2002 |
Order Selecting Carrier and Setting Final Subsidy Rates |
Essential Air Service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii |
Pacific Wings has made a corporate decision to upgrade its fleet from its current, piston-engine Cessna 402 aircraft to factory-new, prop jet Cessna Caravans. The communities are fully supportive of Pacific Wings' service, especially the introduction of its new Cessna Caravan aircraft. In the short term, the Caravans require significantly more subsidy, $2,323,918 compared to the current rates of $1,728,127, due largely to the higher ownership costs. We are optimistic that the new aircraft will be well received by the communities, in terms of passenger acceptance and increased operational reliability, both of which should result in more passenger usage and thus lower subsidy. In that regard, we note that the carrier was willing to forecast significantly more passengers in the second year of Caravan service. Based on the above, we find the proposed service and subsidy levels to be reasonable. We strongly encourage all three communities to work closely with Pacific Wings to increase ridership and ultimately to reduce the amount of subsidy required to support the service.
By: Read Van de Water
| OST-99-6502 OST-00-6773 |
August 2, 2002 | Re: Letter from County of Maui in Support of Pacific Wings | Essential Air Service at Hana and Kalaupapa, HI |
By: James Apana, Mayor
Order 04-09-17
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
Issued September 17, 2004 | Served September 22, 2004
By this order, the Department is requesting proposals from carriers interested in providing essential air service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii, for a new two-year period, with or without subsidy. The order reflects new, streamlined procedures for processing such proposals.
Pacific Wings has provided service to Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela for a number of years. During the year ended May 2004, the most recent 12‑month period for which traffic data are available, daily enplanements were as follows: Hana, 8.9 to Honolulu and 3.1 to Kahului; Kalaupapa, 5.3 to Honolulu; and Kamuela, 5.7 to Honolulu and 4.7 to Kahului.4 At Hana, applicants should consider an option adding service to Honolulu, the bigger traffic generating hub, and reducing or eliminating service to Kahului, which has generated much less traffic.
By: Karan Bhatia
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
September 27, 2004
Re: Letter from Part 135 Regulated Operators Partnership
Island Air has already increased the number of operations in and out of Kahului by a substantial number and is reportedly on their way to a five‑fold increase in operations there. Island Air seems to have an operating policy of leaving one engine running on the passenger ramp for protracted periods of time, presumably to save cycles on the engine. This creates a potential hazard to wayward passengers and others as no one monitors the area surrounding this extremely lethal instrument.
Island Air has been offered space at the main terminal, but they have summarily refused it. In the Main Terminal, there are many available gates designed for access to Dash 8 aircraft. The Commuter Terminal was created to handle normal category aircraft with 19 or fewer seats that serve rural Hawaii airports. It seems clear that Island Air has chosen a business model using large transport category aircraft that more appropriately lends itself to operations out of the Main Terminal just like they use at Hilo, Kona, and, Lihue. As you may remember, when Mahalo Airlines began service to Kahului with similar size aircraft they were sent to the main terminal without debate, in the interest of safety.
I struggle to understand why the condition is tolerated that forces commuter passengers to run a gauntlet on a ramp designed for normal category aircraft, especially when a solution that is so intuitively apparent exists. I ask for your assistance to use the Federal Aviation Administration's‑mandate for public safety to launch an investigation to determine some "best practices" before an inevitable tragedy occurs. Thank you for your help with this matter.
By: PROP, Rob McKinney
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
October 20, 2004
On October 20, 2004, Corporate Airlines, Inc., requested an extension of time, until November 15, 2004, to file a competitive proposal in response to Order 2004-9-17, served September 22. That order requested competitive proposals be submitted by October 22, 2004, for EAS at three Hawaiian communities: Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela.
This is to advise all parties that we have decided to grant Corporate's request for an extension of time to file. Objections and/or competitive proposals, in response to our actions in Order 2004-9-17, must now be filed no later than November 15, 2004.
By: Dennis DeVany
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
November 12, 2004
Re: Proposal of Aviation Ventures d/b/a Vision Air
By: William Acor
November 12, 2004
Re: Proposal of Corporate Airlines
By: Fred Breeden
November 12, 2004
By: R. Franklin Ford, Jr.
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
December 13, 2004
I would like to update you on the essential air service situation at each of the above communities, and give you an opportunity to submit any final comments if you wish before we issue a final order selecting a carrier proposal and/or service option for a new two-year period beginning December 1, 2004. We also sent an identical letter to Mayor Kim regarding EAS at Kamuela, and to Mayor Arakawa regarding EAS at Kalaupapa and Hana.
As you know, by Order 2002-8-10, August 12, 2002, we re-selected Pacific Wings Airlines, Ltd., to provide subsidized essential air service at Hana (Docket OST-1999-6502), Kalaupapa (Docket OST-2000-6773), and Kamuela (Docket OST-1997-2833), Hawaii, through November 30, 2004. The carrier was selected to provide each community with service to Honolulu and/or Kahului using 9-seat, single-engine turboprop Cessna 208 Caravans. As is our normal practice near the end of a two-year term, we issued Order 2004-9-17, which solicited proposals from carriers interested in serving each community for a new two-year period, either with or without subsidy. In response to our request, we received three proposals: from the incumbent Pacific Wings; from Aviation Ventures, Inc. d/b/a Vision Air; and from Corporate Airlines, Inc. Since you should have received copies of the proposals from each carrier, we will only briefly summarize them below.
By: Dennis DeVany
December 13, 2004
Re: Request for Comments from Harry Kim, Mayor of the County of Hawaii
By: Dennis DeVany
December 13, 2004
Re: Request for Comments from Alan Arakawa, Mayor of the County of Maui
By: Dennis DeVany
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
December 21, 2004
Re: Comments of Alan Arakawa, Mayor of County of Maui
It is important that when services are being considered for Hana and Kalaupapa, the amount of flights made available to the residents is of high priority. If residents and visitors alike are aware of air transportation services available to these areas, it is my belief that those services will be utilized.
By: Alan Arakawa
December 29, 2004
Re: Alan Arakawa, Mayor of County of Maui, Letter in Support of Pacific Wings
Pacific Wings is a local company with ties to these communities and is also an employer in these same communities. Pacific Wings' commitment to make air travel readily accessible to those with disabilities is also commendable. Whether providing transportation for a dialysis patient from Hana, or wheelchair‑bound patients with Hanson's disease from Kalaupapa, this company has shown dedication to serve those less fortunate in these communities.
In addition, with rider‑ship on the rise and subsidy request on the decline, Pacific Wings has proven to be a successful business model. As the incumbent air carrier, the service this company provides is a vital transportation link for these remote rural communities. That is why their EAS contract should be renewed for another period.
By: Alan Arakawa
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
December 27, 2004
Re: Harry Kim, Mayor of the County of Hawaii Letter in Support of Pacific Wings
By: Harry Kim
January 3, 2005
Re: Department of Health, State of Hawaii Letter Commending Pacific Wings
By: Michael McCarten
January 4, 2005
By: Kalam English
January 5, 2005
I am writing to you regarding pubic comment on the federal subsidy for air transportation in East Maui. As the situation stands, the period for public input will be closed on Friday, January 7, 2005. I firmly believe that this is not enough time to gauge public sentiment and response; therefore I request that the Department of Transportation extend the comment process for 30 days after January 7.
By: Bob Carroll
January 5, 2005
Re: Letter Extending the Deadline for Community Comments
At the request of the County Council of the County of Maui, Hawaii, we are extending the deadline for filing community comments for the carrier selection case in the above-listed dockets from January 7, 2005, to February 7, 2005.
By: Dennis DeVany
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
January 5, 2005
Re: Congressman Ed Case Letter in Support of Pacific Wings
By: Ed Case
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
January 5, 2005
Re: Opposition of Pacific Wings Airlines to Request for Extension of Time
Earlier today we were notified that your office has received two requests for an extension of time to respond to your letter dated December 13, 2004 sent simultaneously to Mr. Roy Sakata, Mayor Harry Kim, and Mayor Alan Arakawa requesting the views of the affected communities. The requests come on the eve of the January 7, 2005 deadline imposed in the December 13 letter. Because the requests fail to show good cause for an extension of time, and because further delay in making an EAS decision and award will prejudice Pacific Wings, Pacific Wings hereby opposes any extension of time.
Counsel: Patton Boggs, Gregory Walden, 202-457-6135, gwalden@pattonboggs.com
Order 05-01-06
Issued and Served January 7, 2005
Order Granting a 30-Day Extension fro Public Comments | Word
By this order, the Department is granting a 30-day extension for the submission of public comments, until February 7, 2005.
By: Randall Bennett
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
January 14, 2005
Re: Comments of The County of Hawaii
By: Harry Kim, Mayor
January 14, 2005
Re: Comments of State of Hawaii Department of Transportation
By: Brian Sekiguchi
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
February 6, 2005
Re: Comments of The County of Hawaii
By: Harry Kim, Mayor
January 31, 2005
Re: Comments of The County of Maui
By: Alan Arakawa, Mayor
February 7, 2005
Re: Comments of Hana Coast Realty
By: Carl Lindquist
February 7, 2005
Re: Comments of The Hotel Hana-Maui
By: Michael Freed
January 14, 2005
Re: The County of Hawaii Letter in Support of Vision Air
By: Harry Kim, Mayor
February 7, 2005
Re: Robert Filippi Letter in Support of Vision Air
By: Robert Filippi
February 8, 2005
Re: William Conner Letter in Support of Vision Air
By: William Conner
February 7, 2005
By: Warren Kaplan
Order 2005-03-34
OST-99-6502 - EAS at Hana, HI
OST-00-6773 - EAS at Kalaupapa, HI
OST-97-2833 - EAS at Kamuela, HI
Issued March 24, 2005 | Served March 29, 2005
Order Reselecting Carrier and Establishing Subsidy Rates
By this order, the Department is reselecting Pacific Wings Airlines, Ltd., to provide essential air service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii, for the period from April 1, 2005, through March 31, 2007, at an annual rate of $1,597,422 for the first year and at an annual rate of $1,501,752 for the second year.
By: Karan Bhatia
Order 2006-10-15
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
Issued October 26, 2006 | Served October 31, 2006
By this order, the Department is requesting proposals from carriers interested in providing essential air service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii, for the two-year period beginning April 1, 2007, with or without subsidy.
With respect to each community specifically, we expect proposals at Hana consisting of four well- timed, nonstop round trips a day to Honolulu and/or Kahului (total of 28 weekly round trips); at Kalaupapa, consisting of two nonstop round trips a day to Honolulu (total of 12 weekly round trips); and at Kamuela, consisting of two nonstop round trips a day to Honolulu and/or Kahului (total of 12 weekly round trips). Service should be provided using an appropriate aircraft for each community, i.e., two pilots, single or twin-engine aircraft, capacity of 8 or more passenger seats. We encourage proposals that meet the needs of the communities in an efficient manner. Carriers are also welcome to propose more than one service option, if they choose, and they need not limit themselves in any way if they envision other. potentially more attractive service possibilities -- different hubs or smaller aircraft, for example -- with subsidy requirements that remain competitive.
By: Todd Homan
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
November 15, 2006
Email Message - Comments of Kalaupapa National Historical Park
It has come to my attention that the contract for airline service to Kalaupapa, Molokai, Hawaii will soon be decided. I would like to state my desire for a change in service both personally and professionally. The current carrier Pacific Wings has provided very poor customer service. It took almost two months to get a response from them when they overcharged a Kalaupapa employee for four extra tickets. Their scheduling does not benefit the consumer and their pricing does not reflect a subsidized fare.
It would be most welcome if you would consider offering the contract to another carrier.
By: Roseann Worley, 808-567-6802, Rose_Worley@nps.gov
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
November 17, 2006
Pursuant to Order 2006-10-15, Mokulele Flight Service, Inc. d/b/a Mokulele Airlines respectfully submits this proposal to provide essential air service to the communities and residents of Hana, Kamuela, and Kalaupapa, Hawaii, for the two year period beginning April 1, 2007.
Hana will receive two daily roundtrips to Honolulu and two daily roundtrips to Maui (7 days per week). Kamuela will receive two daily roundtrip flights (6 days per week) serving Honolulu and Maui. Kalaupapa will receive two daily roundtrip flights (6 days per week) serving Honolulu.
Mokulele proposes to provide scheduled services using 9-seat Cessna Grand Caravans which is the same aircraft operated by the incumbent carrier in these markets. However, Mokulele’s fleet configuration will represent a significant upgrade as our aircraft will have an all first-class configuration, with two 19” LCD screens providing in-flight news and entertainment.
By: Mokulele, Robert McKinney, 808-326-7070
Order 2006-10-15
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
Issued October 26, 2006 | Served October 31, 2006 | Corrected November 21, 2006
Order Requesting Proposals - Corrected
Order 2006-10-15 erroneously sited docket number OST-1997-2822 instead of OST-1997-2833.
By: Todd Homan
November 22, 2006
It is with great pleasure that I write this letter of support for the expansion of Mokulele Airlines into the Hana marketplace. The District of Hana is one of the most remote regions in the state of Hawaii. Although only 52 miles from the Kahului airport, the trip takes approximately 2 hours, at a speed of between 10 and 25 miles an hour, along a single lane road with 617 turns and 56 one-lane bridges. The road winds through tropical rain forests and along steep sea cliffs.
Hana Health is hopeful that Mokulele Airlines will be allowed to enter the Hana marketplace and develop a flight schedule that meets the needs of the health center and the larger community, at a reasonable cost. Please feel free to contact me with any questions, or for additional information. We look forward to the improved services that Mokulele intends to provide for our community.
By: Hana Health, Cheryl Vasconcellos, Executive Director, P.O. Box 807, Hana, Maui HI 96713
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
November 30, 2006
Pacific Wings will continue to serve Hana, Kamuela and Kalaupapa, Hawaii at or above levels stipulated by the program for these communities, without further EAS subsidies.
Pacific Wings will offer eight nonstops and two connecting flights a day between Honolulu and Hana,
(including new early morning and late afternoon service) beginning 01 DEC 06. At the same time, we are increasing the number of daily nonstops between Hana and Kahului to 12.
By: Pacific Wings, Greg Kahlstorf
December 1, 2006
Re: Email Message - Comments of Eric Brown
I wanted to address the Pacific Wings fluctuating flight schedule between Kalaupapa and Honolulu, Hawaii. For many months the carrier has been pretty reliable for my business travel. In the past 2 months, however, they have begun to alter their schedule on rather short notice. Sometimes I have called in the morning (e.g. November 19th) to reconfirm an already changed flight (e.g. departure 3:20pm to 5:45pm) to find out that the flight is now departing 4.5 hours earlier (e.g. 5:45pm to 1:20pm). To Pacific Wings credit they have tried contacting me and so far, these changes have not resulted in missing connecting flights or appointments, but it is very inconvenient. I understand that carriers need to change flights occasionally to meet demand and aircraft availability but I cannot keep changing my business schedule on such short notice to accommodate their desires, especially when my flight options are so limited to and from our remote park.
Eric Brown, Ph.D., Marine Ecologist, Kalaupapa NHP, P.O. Box 2222, Kalaupapa HI 96742
Order 2006-12-3
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
Issued December 4, 2006 | Served December 7, 2006
Order Terminating Carrier-Selection Case
By this order, the Department is terminating the carrier-selection proceeding for essential air service at Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, Hawaii. The incumbent EAS carrier, Pacific Wings, has proposed to continue to provide all three communities' EAS on a subsidy-free basis beginning April 1, 2007, after the end of the current two-year contract on March 31.
By: Todd Homan
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
October 22, 2007
Re: Mokulele Airlines Request to Vacate Order 2006-12-3
I write to request the Department vacate Order 2006-12-3, terminating the carrier selection process for Hana, Kalaupapa, and Kamuela, HI and reinstate the selection process for subsidized service to the three Hawaii communities which we believe is in the best interest of the affected communities.
On October 2, 2007, the Department received 15 letters of complaint from residents, business owners and travelers to Hana stating their dissatisfaction, concerns and frustrations with the current air service provider.
In the four months (December, 2006 thru April, 2007) immediately following the DOT’s termination of the carrier selection process, origin and destination (O&D) levels at Hana declined substantially. According to DOT’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics in December, 2006 339 O&D passengers traveled between Honolulu (HNL) and Hana (HNM), 140 O&D passengers between Hilo (ITO) and HNM, and 275 passengers between Kahului (OGG) and HNM.
Conversely, in April of 2007, the BTS reports 217 passengers for the HNL-HNM market, a 36% reduction from December, 2006; 69 passengers for the ITO-HNM market, a 51% decline from December, 2006; and 207 for the OGG-HNM market, a 25% decrease from December, 2006.
In DOT Order Number 1989-12-52, the Department made it clear that:
“. . . if communities are not receiving air service that is as reliable as they expect or demand we anticipate and encourage them to contact us for assistance…”
The representations of Hawaii EAS communities filed with the DOT on October 2, 2007 through the office of Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono, I believe, satisfy the request for assistance requirement. Hawaii EAS communities, like those on the mainland, are guaranteed a minimal level of service. When essential air service is not provided in a manner consistent with the letter and spirit of the law, the DOT must affirmatively exercise its discretion in the best interest of the communities. We therefore request the carrier selection process be reinstated immediately.
By: Mokulele, William Boyer
OST-1999-6502 - Hana
OST-2000-6773 - Kalaupapa
OST-1997-2833 - Kamuela
November 19, 2007
Mokulele is fundamentally dependent on Mesa, particularly for product distribution, and in light of Mesa's legal exposure to Hawaiian and perhaps other airlines, there is significant doubt whether Mesa will continue to serve Hawaii. It appears that Mokulele may be attempting to ensure its future survival by doing anything possible to obtain federal subsidies in the event its business partnership is grounded by Mesa's withdrawal from the Hawaii market.
By: Pacific Wings, Greg Kahlstorf
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