Essential Air Service at Trenton, New Jersey

OST-2007-0122

December 19, 2007

Re: Notice of Termination of Service

Big Sky Transportation Co. d/b/a Big Sky Airlines d/b/a Delta Connection hereby gives notice of the termination of its scheduled service at Trenton, NJ effective on January 7, 2008.

Big Sky is under severe financial distress due to continuing, extensive and unsustainable losses. The Company has determined that it does not have the financial resources to enable it to continue to serve Trenton after January 7, 2008.

Counsel: Hogan & Hartson, Robert Cohn, 202-637-4999, recohn@hhlaw.com

Order 2007-12-27
OST-1998-3506 - Sheridan
OST-2007-0122 - Trenton

Issued December 27, 2007 | Served January 3, 2008

Order Allowing Suspension of Service

At Sheridan, Big Sky currently operates 21 nonstop round trips a week to Denver and 7 to Billings with 19‑seat Beech 1900 aircraft. At Trenton, Big Sky operates 18 nonstop round trips a week to Boston with Beech 1900s. Both Sheridan and Trenton receive scheduled air service from other carriers: Sheridan is also served by Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., which operates 21 nonstop round trips a week to Denver with 30‑seat Embraer Brasilia aircraft; and Trenton is also served by Boston‑Maine Airways, d/b/a Pan Am Clipper Connection, which operates 18 nonstop round trips a week to Bedford, Massachusetts, with on‑line connecting service to Boston, with 19‑seat Jetstream 31 aircraft.

In view of Big Sky's dire condition and the availability of other service, there is little if anything to be gained by requiring Big Sky to maintain service at Sheridan or Trenton beyond that date, which will accommodate holiday travelers.

At Sheridan, the remaining service operated by Great Lakes easily meets the community's essential air service determination, which calls for two nonstop or one‑stop round trips to Denver each weekday and weekend offering a total of 67 seats in each direction.1 Great Lakes' three daily round trips with 30‑seat aircraft provide Sheridan with 90 seats in each direction on weekdays and 180 on weekends.

At Trenton, Big Sky was required to file a notice because the community technically remains an essential air service community. However, we are statutorily prohibited from paying subsidy to support essential air service at communities that do not meet certain eligibility criteria, including those located within 70 highway miles of a large or medium hub. Trenton is 45 highway miles from Philadelphia International Airport, a large hub. Because service at Trenton is not eligible for subsidy, we could not require Big Sky to continue service beyond 90 days in any case.

By: Michael Reynolds