From: Muldoon, Albert (OST)

To: Nancy Denson (nancy.denson@athensclarkecounty.com) ; Tim Beggerly (airport@athensclarkecounty.com)

Cc: "tlcooper@gosunair.com" ; Bob Karns (Bob@Sovereignairinc.com) ; Tim Sieber ; Shane Storz ; Devany, Dennis (OST) (Dennis.DeVany@dot.gov) Subject: Soliciting Community Comments: Essential Air Service at Athens, GA - Due September 6, 2012

Date: Thursday, August 16, 2012 4:42:49 PM

Attachments: Air Choice One - Proposal to Provide Essential Air Service at Athens, Georgia, Docket DOT-OST-2002-11348.pdf SeaPort Proposal AHN 08-15-2012 - FINAL.pdf Sovereign Air Proposal.pdf Sun Air Bid Proposal for EAS at Athens, GA.pdf

All:

I would like to update you on the Essential Air Service (EAS) situation at Athens, GA, and give you an opportunity to submit comments on the record before we submit a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs. On July 13, 2012, the Department issued Order 2012-7-15 soliciting proposals from carriers to provide EAS at Athens, GA for a new contract period beginning October 1, 2012. In response to that Order, we received proposals from four carriers: Sun Air Express, LLC dba Sun Air International (Sun Air), Sovereign Air, Inc. (Sovereign), SeaPort Airlines, Inc. (SeaPort), and Multi-Aero, Inc. dba Air Choice One Airlines (Air Choice One).

I have attached copies of the proposals to this email. The proposals can also be accessed online through the Federal Dockets Management System at www.regulations.gov by entering
“DOT-OST-2002-11348” in the search box. For your convenience, I will briefly summarize the four proposals below.

Sun Air proposes to serve Athens with 22 weekly round trip flights to Atlanta’s HartsfieldJackson International airport. The service pattern would consist of four round trips on Monday, Thursday, and Friday; three round trips on Tuesday and Wednesday; and two round trips on Saturday and Sunday. Sun Air will utilize nine-passenger twin engine Piper Chieftain aircraft. Sun Air requests an annual subsidy of $1,480,975. Please note that Sun Air’s bid is contingent upon their being awarded the EAS contract for Macon, GA, and confirmation of effective interline e-ticketing with Delta Air Lines.

Sovereign proposes to serve Athens with two daily round trips Atlanta (14 total per week)
with 19-seat Jetstream 31/32 aircraft. Sovereign would require an annual subsidy of $1,102,170. Please be aware that Sovereign does not currently have the requisite operating authority from the Federal Aviation Administration or the Department.

SeaPort has proposed two service options for Athens. Both service options would be operated with nine-passenger single engine Cessna Caravan aircraft. The first option would provide 12 weekly round trips to Nashville International Airport. This option would require a first-year subsidy of $1,553,093, increasing to $1,630,410 in the second year. The second service option proposed would consist of 12 weekly round trips to Charlotte-Douglass International Airport and six weekly round trips to Nashville. This service option would require a first-year subsidy of $1,616,887, increasing to $1,697,420 in the second year.

Air Choice One would serve Athens with 18 round trips per week to Atlanta with either Cessna Grand Caravan or Piper Navajo aircraft. Air Choice One requests an annual subsidy of $1,896,856 for a two-year contract period or $1,877,887 for a four-year contract period.

The schedules that the carriers have proposed are illustrative only, and they may make schedule changes to reflect changing conditions (e.g. to better meet shifting connecting banktimes at the hub). The Department expects subsidized carriers to maintain well-timed and well-spaced flights in order to ensure full compensation.

We request that you review each proposal and submit any comments you may have as soon as possible, but no later than September 6, 2012. We will carefully consider your comments before we submit a recommendation to the Assistant Secretary for a decision.

Please send your comments via email to EAS@dot.gov or by fax to (202) 366-7638. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact A.J. Muldoon of my staff at albert.muldoon@dot.gov or (202) 366-1058.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. DeVany Chief, Essential Air Service Division, X-53 Office of Aviation Analysis