Essential Air Service at Kingman, Prescott, Page and Show Low, Arizona

Order 2007-3-17
OST-1996-1899 - Kingman and Prescott, Arizona
OST-1997-2694 - Page, Arizona
OST-1998-4409 - Show Low, Arizona

Issued March 20, 2007 | Served March 23, 2007

Order Requesting Proposals and Order to Show Cause Tentatively Terminating Subsidy Eligibility and Allowing Suspension of Service

By this order, the Department is requesting all interested parties to show cause why we should not terminate the essential air service subsidy eligibility of Kingman, Arizona, and allow Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to suspend its subsidized service. The Department is also requesting proposals from carriers interested in providing essential air service at Prescott, Page, and Show Low, Arizona, for the two-year period beginning July 1, 2007, with or without subsidy. We will also entertain proposals to serve Kingman if they meet the criteria described later in this order. Proposals and/or objections are due within 30 days of the service date of this order.

With specific respect to Kingman and Prescott, we ask that carriers submit proposals for three nonstop or one-stop round trips a day to Phoenix with 15-seat or larger, pressured aircraft, with the requirement that the total annual subsidy for Kingman cannot exceed $941,400. (If Kingman is served in conjunction with one or more other community, we will allocate the subsidy on the same basis described above, i.e., based on the number of weekly frequencies.) For Page, we ask for proposals with three nonstop round trips per day. For Show Low, we ask for proposals with two nonstop round trips per day. In order to give the Department and the communities as broad an array of proposals as possible from which to choose, carriers are also welcome to prepare more than one service option; they need not limit themselves to these requirements if they envision other, potentially more attractive service possibilities, different hubs, for example, with subsidy requirements that remain competitive. In that regard, we note that Kingman from time to time has informally expressed interest in service to Las Vegas. As always, we will formally solicit the communities’ views on any service options we receive before making a long-term carrier selection decision.

By: Andrew Steinberg