# o DOT-OJST - l^'^^ - ^°i^ '

US . D«partin«n t o f 120 0 Ne w Jerse y Avenue , S

E Transportatio n ^ 2 " ^ 201 0 '•': • Washington , O C 2059 0 Of f ic e o f th e Secrekir

y o f Transportatio n Th e Honorabl e Kre g A . Lombar d Mayo r o f Worlan d P.O . Bo x 22 6 Worland , WY 8240 1 Dea r Mayo r Lombard , I woul d like t o updat e yo u o n th e essential ai r servic e (EAS ) situatio n a

t Larami e Regiona l Airpor t an d Worlan d Municipal Airpor t and giv e yo

u a n opportunity t o offe

r an y comment s o n th e recor dbefore w e submi t arecommendatio n t o th e Assistan t Secretar y fo r Aviatio n an d Internationa l Affairs . A s you know . Grea t Lake s Aviatio n Ltd. , operatin g a s bot

h aUnite d Airline s an d Frontie r Airline s cod e share partne r (Grea t Lakes) , i s th e curren t

EA S provider

a t you r community , and thei r

contrac t expire s September

30 , 2010 . I n anticipatio n of that , w e issue d Order

2010-5-14 , Ma

y 12 , 2010 , solicitin g proposal s fro mcarrier s intereste d in providin g subsidize d EA S fo r anew , two yea r period , begiimin g Octobe r 1 , 2010 . In respons e t o our request , tw o carrier s responded : Grea

t Lake s an d Sovereig n Air , Inc . (Sovereig n Air) . Yo u shoul d hav e receive d acop y of th e proposal s fro

meac h carrier , an d the y ca n b e accesse d a t www.regulations.po v b y enterin g th e number s DOT-OST-1997-295 8 fo r Larami e an d DOT-OST-1997-298 1 fo r Worlan d in th e searc h block . A s aresult , w e wil l onl y briefl y summariz e the mhere . Grea t Lake s ha s propose d on e servic e optio n fo r eac h communit

y t o b e considere d a s stand-alon e bids , bot

h usin g 19-sea

t Beechcraf

t 190 0 aircraft . Th e servic e t o Larami e woul d b e thre e nonsto p roun d trip s eac h weekda y an d fou r roun d trip s eac h weeken d (1 9 aweek ) to Denve r

fo r a n annua l subsidy o f

$1,181,572 . Th e servic e t o Worlan d woul d b e tw o roun d trip s eac h weekday an d weeken d (1 2 aweek) over aWorland-Cheyenne

Denver , Worland-Laramie-Denver , o r Worland-Denver

routin g for

$1,770,336 . A t Worland , Sovereig n Ai r

woul d provid e thre e roun d trip s Monday-Friday , an d fou r weeken droun d trip s (1 9 aweek ) over aWorland-Laramie-Denver routin g fo

r a n annual subsid y o f $2,151,671 . At

Laramie , Sovereig n Ai r

woul d provid e th e 1 9 roun d trip s a wee k describe d above , plu s 1 6 additional nonsto p roun dtrip s aweek fo r atota l of 5 dail y nonsto p roun d trip s (3 5 j aweek ) for a n annua l subsidy o

f $2,361,671 . Under

it s Optio n 1 , al l servic e woul d b e wit

h 9-sea t Kin g Ai r aircraft . Under

it s Optio n 2 , Sovereig n woul d us e a19-sea

t Beedicraf

t 190 0 o n th e Larami e flight s tha t d o no t servic e Worlan d and a9

- sea t King Ai r aircraf t o n al l othe r

flights . We not e tha

t th e 9-sea t Kin g Ai r aircraf t doe s no t meet th e 15-or-more-passenger-seat standard require d b y ou

r governin g statue s (4 9U.S.C . § 41732(b)(3 ) and (b)(6)) . I f the communitie s indicate thei r willingnes s to waiv e thei r right to receiv e EA S wit

h 15-sea t o r larger aircraft , w e wil l conside r

th e waiver

to appl y onl y to th e ne w two-yea r ter munder consideratio n a

t thi s tim e (i.e. , w e woul d no t assum e tha

t th e communitie s waiv e thei r right s i n perpetuity. ) Further , Sovereig n Air doe s no t currentl y hav e th e requisit e operatin g authorit y fro meithe r th e Departmen t

o r th e Federal Aviatio n Administratio n to provid e schedule d air service , althoug h i

t ha s submitte dapplications . Th e schedule s tha

t th e carrier s hav e propose d are illustrativ e onl y an d the y ma y make schedul e change s t o reflec t changin g conditions , e.g. , t o better mee t shiftin g connectin g ban k time s a t th e hub . However , th e Departmen t doe s expec t

asubsidize d ai r

carrier t o maintai n well-time d an d well-space d flight s in orde r t o ensur e full compensation . W e reques t

that yo u revie w th e proposal s and submi t any comment s yo

u ma y hav e a s soo n a s possible , bu t

n o late r tha n Jul y 21 . We wil l carefully conside r you r comment s befor e w e submi t

arecommendatio n t o th e Assistant Secretar y fo r adecision . Pleas e sen d you r

comment s vi ae-mai l to EAS@dot.go v o r b y fa x t o 202-366-7638 . I

f yo u hav e any questions , pleas e fee l free t o contac t

Michae l Marti n o f

my staf f a t michael.f.martin@dot.go v o r 202-366-6494 . Sincerely , Denni s J . DeVany , Chie f ( ^ Essential Air

Servic e Divisio n Offic e o f Aviatio n Analysi s cc : Michae l Matthews , Grea t Lake s Aviation , Ltd . Jo n Payne , Sovereig n Air , Inc .