Comair, Inc.

OST-03-16303 - 90-Day Notice of Termination of Service at Clarksburg/Fairmont, WV

October 9, 2003

90-Day Notice of Termination of Service

Pursuant to Part 323 of the Department of Transportation Regulations Comair, Inc., a certificated carrier, gives notice of its intent to terminate all of its service at Clarksburg/Fairmont, West Virginia, after January 7, 2004. Comair's service is operated as "Delta Connection" service under agreements with Delta Air Lines, Inc.

By Order 84-11-62 issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board on November 15, 1984, the Board determined essential air service for Clarksburg/Fairmont as at least two daily nonstop roundtrips to Pittsburgh and Washington, D. C. providing in the aggregate at least 80 available seats inbound and 80 available seats outbound if aircraft of nine or fewer seats are used and 62 seats in each direction if aircraft with 14 or more seats are used. Clarksburg/Fairmont currently receives service from Air Midwest, Inc. operating as USAirways Express, in addition to Comair. The historic Clarksburg/Fairmont - Washington service was discontinued after the September 11 attacks and has not yet been restored (see Order 2003-8-9, issued August 7, 2003).

After Comair's termination of service, ClarksburglFairmont will continue to receive service to Pittsburgh. In addition, Corporate Airlines has proposed resumption of service to Washington (Proposed Schedule of Corporate Airlines, Inc. For Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, dated September 24, 2003, Docket OST-2000-7182 and Docket OST-2003-15886). The combined service would be sufficient to meet EAS requirements.

Counsel: Delta, Paul Zampol, 404-715-2779

Order 03-11-19
OST-03-16303 - EAS at Clarksburg / Fairmont, WV

Issued November 19, 2003 | Served November 24, 2003

Order Allowing Suspension of Service | Word

After careful consideration, we have decided to allow Comair to suspend service at Clarksburg/Fairmont, effective January 7, 2004. Even without Comair's service, the community will still receive the nonstop service provided by Air Midwest, providing a total of 76 seats a day in each direction. In this case, we conclude that the service provided by Air Midwest will meet the core responsibility of the EAS program to provide Clarksburg/Fairmont a continuing link to the national air transportation system. In addition, as a code-share partner of US Airways Express, the carrier is able to offer Clarksburg/Fairmont travelers on-line connecting service through US Airways' system.

The "one‑third" rule, by imposing a 90‑day notice requirement, is designed to ensure that when a carrier intends to withdraw from a community, the marketplace will have sufficient time to react to the impending service reduction. Here, Air Midwest may decide to increase its service in response to Comair's withdrawal, or another carrier may elect to inaugurate service at Clarksburg/Fairmont to fill any unmet demand.

As a final matter, Comair has advised us that, before suspending service, it will contact all passengers holding reservations for flights that will be suspended, to inform them of the suspension and the availability of existing service provided by Air Midwest, and to assist them in arranging alternative transportation.

By: Michael Reynolds