Order 2014-4-14

Served: April 17, 2014

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation

on the 17

th of April, 2014

Essential Air Service at

GREAT BEND, KANSAS

Under 49 U.S.C. 41731 et seq. 

DOCKET DOT-OST-1998-34961

ORDER APPROVING ALTERNATE SERVICE PATTERN

Summary

By this Order, the Department is approving the request of SeaPort Airlines, Inc. (SeaPort) to alter 

the service pattern for Great Bend, Kansas (GBD) by allowing service to Wichita, Kansas (ICT),

and to Kansas City, Missouri (MCI) via Salina, Kansas (SLN). 

Background

By Order 2014-3-9, March 14, 2014, the Department selected SeaPort to provide subsidized 

Essential Air Service at Great Bend for an annual subsidy amount of $1,434,472. In that Order, 

SeaPort was selected to provide 18 weekly nonstop round trips to ICT using a 9-seat Cessna 

Caravan aircraft for a two-year period beginning June 1, 2014, through July 31, 2016. 

Carrier Proposal

By letter dated March 18, 2014, the Department was notified of SeaPort’s request to alter GBD’s 

service pattern from 18 weekly round trips to ICT to 12 weekly round trips to ICT and 6 weekly 

round trips to MCI via SLN.

Community Comments

Martin Miller, the Airport Manager of Great Bend Airport, notified the Department that he 

supports SeaPort’s request to change its service pattern at Great Bend as described above.

 

1 We are also placing a copy of this Order in the Docket for Salina, Kansas (DOT-OST-2002-11376).
- 2 -

Tim Rogers of the Salina Airport Authority commented that The Salina Airport Authority and its 

Salina air service partners have no objections to SeaPort’s plan to include Great Bend in a MCISLN-GBD service pattern and routing. 

Decision

We will approve SeaPort’s request, which meets the three conditions necessary for approval 

under authority assigned under 14 CFR 385.12(k)(3) of the Department’s Regulations: (1) the 

alternate service pattern is equal to or greater than that determined to be essential; (2) the 

community does not object to the alternate service pattern; and (3) the alternate service pattern 

will not increase SeaPort’s subsidy.

Because we are simply allowing the alternate service pattern and not requiring it, SeaPort may 

revert to the original service pattern at any time.

We note that Great Bend is exempt from the $200 per passenger statutory limit because it is 

more than 210 miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport; however, the Department 

wishes to remind SeaPort and Great Bend about the recently enacted law that established a new 

subsidy cap at $1,000 per passenger regardless of distance from hub airports. The Department 

fully expects both parties to work cooperatively to ensure subsidy rates remain well below the 

$1,000 per passenger level.2 

This order is issued under authority delegated in 49 CFR 1.25a (b) and re-delegated to the 

Director, Office of Aviation Analysis.

ACCORDINGLY,

1. We approve the alternate service pattern requested by SeaPort Airlines, Inc., to serve Great 

Bend, Kansas, with service to Wichita and Kansas City (via Salina) at the annual subsidy rate 

and payout formula set forth in Appendix C of Order 2014-3-9;

2. This docket will remain open until further order of the Department; and

 

2 Congress first established the $200 ceiling under P.L. 101-164 for fiscal year 1990, and reestablished it in fiscal 

years 1994-1999. The ceiling was made permanent by P.L. 106-69, the Department of Transportation and Related 

Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000. 
- 3 -

3. The Department will serve a copy of this Order on the mayor of Great Bend, Kansas, the 

airport manager of Great Bend Municipal Airport, the airport manager of Salina Regional 

Airport, and SeaPort Airlines, Inc.

Persons entitled to petition the Department for review of this Order under the Department’s 

Regulations, 14 CFR Part 385.31, must file such petitions within seven (7) days after the date of 

service of this Order. 

This order will be effective immediately, and the filing of a petition for review shall not preclude 

its effectiveness.

By:

TODD M. HOMAN

Director

Office of Aviation Analysis

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available at

www.regulations.gov