Essential Air Service at Beckley, West Virginia

Order 2008-3-35
OST-1997-2761

Issued March 31, 2008 | Served April 3, 2008

Order Resoliciting Proposals

By this order, the Department is resoliciting proposals from carriers interested in providing essential air service at Beckley, West Virginia, for the two-year period beginning August 1, 2008.

On November 13, 2007, Colgan discontinued its unsubsidized service at nearby Bluefield/Princeton, West Virginia, with which Beckley's flights had long been linked, and upgraded its aircraft on the route from Beeches to the larger Saabs while continuing to operate 18 nonstop round trips a week rather than dropping down to 12 as allowed under Order 2006-7-2. Very recently, on February 18, 2008, Colgan began operating 12 of those 18 round trips via Staunton, Virginia. Consequently, Colgan now operates 6 nonstop and 12 one-stop round trips a week from Beckley to Dulles with Saabs.

As the end of the current rate term approached, we issued Order 2008-2-23, February 19, 2008, requesting proposals, with or without subsidy requests, from carriers interested in providing replacement service at Beckley. Because we received no proposals in response to that order, we are resoliciting proposals here. Carriers should file their proposals no later than May 1.

By: Todd Homan