BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

________________________________________________ 

)

Essential Air Service at )

)

ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA ) OST-2002-11446

JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA ) OST-2002-11451

)

Under 49 U.S.C. §41731 et seq. )

________________________________________________) 

SILVER AIRWAYS PROPOSAL TO PROVIDE SUBSIDIZED AIR SERVICE

AT ALTOONA AND JOHNSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA

Correspondence with regard to this document should be addressed to:

Mickey Bowman

Vice President Essential Air Service

Silver Airways

1100 Lee Wagener Blvd, Suite 201

Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33315

Telephone: 954-302-5929

Fax: 270-689-2180

E-Mail: mbowman@gosilver.com

Silver Airways cordially submits its proposal to provide subsidized air service to the communities of Altoona and 

Johnstown, Pennsylvania to the hub at Washington’s Dulles International Airport.

Silver Airways proposes to operate flights, under its existing United Airlines codeshare. At the time of this filing, a 

definitive agreement to extend Silver Airways existing codeshare to these routes has not been consummated therefore this 

bid is contingent upon that agreement being finalized. Negotiations are ongoing and we believe resolution should be 

reached in the next few weeks, well before community comments will be due back to the DOT. Dulles International 

Airport is a major United Airlines’ hub with nearly 300 online daily departures to over 100 cities worldwide. Other 

carriers boost the Dulles daily departure average to nearly 390 flights. The bank structure at Dulles is designed to 

maximize connections and enable a seamless travel experience. Via the United Airlines codeshare passengers will 

continue to enjoy through ticketing and pricing, online and interline baggage connectivity and exposure throughout the 

Global Distribution Portals. Additionally passengers would continue to enjoy conveniences such as advanced seat 

selection and participation in United Airlines’ Frequent Traveler Program.

In compliance with Public Law 100-223, Silver Airways proposes to operate these flights using Saab 340 B+ turboprops 

that are pressurized and accommodate 34 passengers. The 340 B+ features additional amenities such as stand up 

headroom, an active noise cancellation system, and an onboard lavatory. Additionally all Silver Airways flights will 

operate under full Part 121 regulations and each flight will have a Flight Attendant onboard.

One of the hallmarks of the Silver Airways operation is our ability to provide safe and reliable transportation. Toward this 

end, Silver Airways intends to utilize its regional maintenance base in DuBois, Pennsylvania. This base, established in 

the fall of 2008, is staffed by some of our airline’s most seasoned technicians. Additionally Silver Airways plans to avail 

itself of a spare aircraft that will be positioned in Dulles as part of this operation. With this spare aircraft we have great 

flexibility in responding to any operational challenges and can assure these communities receive the level of operational 

performance they desire.

On-line United Domestic Destinations Available Via the Dulles Hub:

Allentown, PA; Albuquerque, NM; Albany, NY; Atlanta, GA; Austin, TX; Hartford, CT; Binghamton, NY; Beckley, WV

Nashville, TN; Boston, MA; Burlington, VT; Buffalo, NY; Columbia, SC; Charlottesville VA; Charleston, SC; 

Clarksburg, WV; Cleveland, OH; Charlotte, NC; Columbus, OH; Colorado Springs, CO; Charleston, WV; Cincinnati, 

OH; Dayton, OH; Denver, CO; Dallas, TX; Detroit, MI; Newark, NJ; Greensboro, NC; Greenville, SC; Honolulu, HI; 

White Plains, NY; Huntsville, AL; Houston, TX; Indianapolis, IN; Jacksonville, FL; New York JFK, NY; Las Vegas, NV; 

Los Angeles, CA; New York LaGuardia, NY; Kansas City, MO; Orlando, FL; Harrisburg, PA; Morgantown, WV; 

Manchester, NH; Miami, FL; Minneapolis, MN; New Orleans, LA; Oklahoma City, OK; Chicago, IL; Norfolk, VA; 

Portland, WA; Philadelphia, PA; Phoenix, AZ; Pittsburgh, PA; Pensacola, FL; Providence, RI; Portland, ME; Raleigh 

Durham, NC; Richmond, VA; Roanoke, VA; Rochester, NY; San Diego, CA; San Antonio, TX; Savannah, GA; State 

College, PA; Louisville, KY; Seattle, WA; San Francisco, CA; Shenandoah Valley, VA; San Juan, PR; Salt Lake City, 

UT; Sacramento, CA; St Louis, MO; Syracuse, NY; Tampa, FL; Tulsa, OK, Knoxville, TN.

On-Line United and Star Alliance International Destinations Available Via the Dulles Hub:

Accra, Ghana; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Aruba, Aruba; Brussels, Belgium; Paris, France; Cancun, Mexico; Moscow, 

Russia; Dublin, Ireland; Dubai, Arab Emirates; Rome, Italy; Frankfurt, Germany; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Sao 

Paulo, Brazil; Geneva, Switzerland; Kuwait City, Kuwait; London, England; Madrid, Spain; Manchester, England; 

Montego Bay, Jamaica; Mexico City, Mexico; Munich, Germany; Tokyo, Japan; Beijing, China; Punta Cana, Dominican 

Republic; St Thomas, Virgin Islands; St Croix, Virgin Islands; Ottawa, Canada, Montreal, Canada, Toronto, Canada, 

Zurich, Switzerland.
Service Option 1

36 Weekly frequencies between Altoona, Johnstown, and Dulles International Airport

Silver Airways proposes to operate these flights under its established codeshare relationship with United Airlines. The 

timing of these flights would be optimized for connections to and from the United Airlines connecting banks in Dulles. 

This service constitutes three weekday roundtrips operating in a “round robin” fashion. Three total roundtrips would be 

operated over the weekend period as well

Silver Airways

Sample Flight Schedule

Service Option 1

FROM TO DEP ARR FLT EQUIPFREQ STOP

STA STA TIME TIME NUM

Altoona Dulles 5:45 am 7:32 am 4011 SF3 X7 1

Altoona Dulles 1:53 pm 3:42 pm 4007 SF3 Daily 1

Altoona Dulles 7:59 pm 8:56 pm 4009 SF3 X67 0

Dulles Altoona 12:26 pm 1:26pm 4006 SF3 Daily 0

Dulles Altoona 5:45 pm 7:36 pm 4008 SF3 X67 1

Dulles Altoona 10:02 pm 11:59 pm 4025 SF3 X6 1

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Johnstown Dulles 6:32 am 7:32 am 4011 SF3 X7 0

Johnstown Dulles 2:42 pm 3:42 pm 4007 SF3 Daily 0

Johnstown Dulles 7:08 pm 8:56 pm 4009 SF3 X67 1

Dulles Johnstown 12:26 pm 2:21 pm 4006 SF3 Daily 1

Dulles Johnstown 5:45 pm 6:53 pm 4008 SF3 X67 0

Dulles Johnstown 10:02 pm 11:07 pm 4025 SF3 X6 0

(Note: This Schedule is for illustrative purposes and may not reflect the final published product)
Silver Airways Proposal:

(98% Completion Factor 

Assumed ) Annual

Stats & Assumptions

Aircraft Type SF3

Departures

 

3,058 

Block Hours

 

2,456 

O&D Passengers

 

25,000 

Load Factor 40%

Avg Fare

 

82 

A/C Miles

 

243,385 

RPMs (000)

 

3,310 

ASMs (000)

 

8,275 

Pax Ticket Revenue

 

2,054,840 

Operating Expense

Fuel

 

1,478,562 

Crew

 

662,450 

Maintenance

 

1,616,073 

Station 

 

1,091,403 

Distribution

 

288,207 

A/C Ownership

 

341,642 

Promotion

 

24,000 

Fixed Overhead

 

261,500 

Total

 

5,763,835 

Operating Loss

 

3,708,995 

5% Profit Margin on Cost

 

288,192 

EAS Subsidy Required

 

3,997,187 

Subsidy / Pax

 

160 
In conclusion, Silver Airways believes that this proposal will provide these Pennsylvania communities with superior air

service options. We feel the passengers will benefit from seamless, codeshare service to the United Airlines hub in 

Washington Dulles International Airport. With a renewed focus on schedule reliability, Silver Airways hopes to grow 

these markets. Silver Airways has proven itself as a dependable Essential Air Service provider and brings a commitment

to work with these communities to address their travel needs to the relationship. Integrity of service that has been a 

hallmark of the Silver Airways operation and we look forward to extending our brand into the mid-Atlantic region.

 

Respectfully Submitted: March 14, 2012

______________________

Mickey Bowman

Vice President Essential Air Service

Silver Airways