October 1, 2014

Kevin Schlemmer

Office of Aviation Analysis

US Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Ave SE

Washington, D.C. 20590

SkyWest Airlines’ Essential Air Service Proposal for International Falls and Brainerd, 

MN; Rhinelander, WI; and Iron Mountain, MI

Dear Mr. Schlemmer:

Attached is SkyWest Airlines’ proposal to provide air service from International Falls, 

Brainerd, Rhinelander and Iron Mountain to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. 

Please be aware that this proposal is being offered as an inseparable package. 

SkyWest welcomes the opportunity to continue serving the communities under the 

Essential Air Service program. Our combination of safe and reliable aircraft, well-timed 

schedules, and access to one of the world’s largest airline networks provides passengers 

with quality air service and will continue driving economic growth in the region.

Delta Air Lines’ Network

One of the most beneficial aspects of this proposal is the connectivity it provides the 

region’s passengers. They will continue to enjoy access to Delta Air Lines’ global 

network, including thousands of daily flights to 330 destinations in 65 countries. The 

airline is also a founding member of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the 

industry’s leading trans-Atlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and Alitalia –

making it easy to connect on to more than 15,000 daily flights. This connectivity makes it 

simple for passengers to plan their travel and is a key factor in the area’s continued 

economic development. 

Frequency and Schedule

As directed by the RFP, we will offer a minimum of 12-14 round-trip flights per week, 

depending on the market. All flights have been timed to ensure they offer passengers 

valuable flight schedules that arrive and depart on bank. This means that they have been 

optimized for maximum connection opportunities in Minneapolis, making the service 

convenient for both business and leisure travelers.
Only minor changes are being proposed to the existing service patterns: Brainerd service 

will no longer be linked to any other market and overnight flights from International Falls 

will now stop in Hibbing. These changes will take effect in January. 

With more than 750 Delta or Delta Connection departures per day, Minneapolis-St. Paul

International Airport makes it easy to get to destinations around the world. In addition to 

being a major hub, Minneapolis is also a top destination for the community.

Superior Aircraft 

Service will be provided using the Canadair Regional Jet 200 (CRJ200) 50-seat aircraft. 

SkyWest has been named the most reliable CRJ200 operator in North America five times 

since 2007 and is one of the largest domestic operators of this reliable, comfortable 

aircraft type. 

All SkyWest CRJ200 aircraft are serviced by a highly-trained flight attendant, further 

adding to the comfort and convenience of each passenger’s flying experience. Additional 

details and specifications can be found in the CRJ fact sheet attached to this document. 

Summary

SkyWest believes this proposal provides the best overall option for air service in these 

communities. Given the connectivity at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, the 

well-timed schedules and reliable equipment, we expect to see continued growth in the

number of passengers utilizing the service. We will also work with communities and 

airport partners to market the service. 

SkyWest is excited about the opportunity to provide reliable air service to International 

Falls and Brainerd, MN; Rhinelander, WI; and Iron Mountain, MI.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

Michael Thompson 

Chief Operating Officer

SkyWest Airlines
SkyWest Airlines

Essential Air Service Bid

10/1/2014

RHI IMT IMT IMT INL INL INL BRD

MSP RHI-MSP MSP HIB-MSP MSP MSP TOTALS

Number of round-trips per week 14 7 6 13 5 7 12 12 51

Aircraft type CRJ200 CRJ200 CRJ200 CRJ200 CRJ200 CRJ200 CRJ200 CRJ200

Passenger Revenue

Passengers 35,000 17,000 24,000 26,000 102,000

Average fare $ 90.00 $ 85.00 $ 95.00 $ 85.00

Revenue $ 3,150,000 $ 1,445,000 $ 2,280,000 $ 2,210,000 $ 9,085,000

Block Time

Trip block time (minutes) 59 41 67 49 67 50

Total scheduled block time 1,432 497 697 1,194 425 813 1,238 1,040

Total completed block time 98% 1,403 488 683 1,170 416 797 1,213 1,019 4,806

RPMS

Passengers 35,000 8,500 8,500 17,000 12,000 12,000 24,000 26,000 102,000

Stage length 190 60 256 85 254 114

 6,650,000 510,000 2,176,000 2,686,000 1,020,000 3,048,000 4,068,000 2,964,000 16,368,000

ASMs

Scheduled departures 1,456 728 624 1,352 520 728 1,248 1,248 5,304

Competed departures 98% 1,427 713 612 1,325 510 713 1,223 1,223 5,198

Stage length 190 60 256 85 254 114

Available Seats 50 50 50 50 50 50

 13,832,000 2,184,000 7,987,200 10,171,200 2,210,000 9,245,600 11,455,600 7,113,600 42,572,400

Revenue $ 3,150,000 $ 1,445,000 $ 2,280,000 $ 2,210,000 $ 9,085,000

Direct operating expenses $ 3,788,366 $ 1,316,297 $ 1,843,733 $ 3,160,030 $ 1,123,668 $ 2,151,022 $ 3,274,690 $ 2,751,840 $ 12,974,926

RPM related $ 22,677 $ 1,739 $ 7,420 $ 9,159 $ 3,478 $ 10,394 $ 13,872 $ 10,107 $ 55,815

Departure related $ 1,013,270 $ 506,635 $ 434,259 $ 940,894 $ 361,882 $ 506,635 $ 868,517 $ 868,517 $ 3,691,199

ASM related $ 128,914 $ 20,355 $ 74,441 $ 94,796 $ 20,597 $ 86,169 $ 106,766 $ 66,299 $ 396,775

Total expenses $ 4,953,227 $ 1,845,026 $ 2,359,852 $ 4,204,878 $ 1,509,626 $ 2,754,219 $ 4,263,845 $ 3,696,763 $ 17,118,714

Operating income (loss) $ (1,803,227) $ (2,759,878) $ (1,983,845) $ (1,486,763) $ (8,033,714)

5% profit margin $ 247,661 $ 210,244 $ 213,192 $ 184,838 $ 855,936

Annual subsidy requirement $ 2,050,889 $ 2,970,122 $ 2,197,037 $ 1,671,602 $ 8,889,650

SkyWest effective rates per unit

Cost per trip $ 3,471 $ 2,586 $ 3,859 $ 3,174 $ 2,962 $ 3,860 $ 3,486 $ 3,023

Cost per passenger $ 142 $ 217 $ 278 $ 247 $ 126 $ 230 $ 178 $ 142

Effective Subsidy rate per unit

Subsidy per trip $ 1,437 $ 2,242 $ 1,796 $ 1,367

Subsidy per passenger $ 59 $ 175 $ 92 $ 64

Load factor 48% 26% 36% 42%

Eastern

11:00

Central

10:00

Atlantic

NOON

Pacic

8:00

Mountain

9:00

Current Route Map Route Map

(Updated monthly, may not reect recent service updates) SkyWest Airlines Route Map | October 2014

United Turboprop

US Airways Regional Jet

American Regional Jet

Alaska Regional Jet

United Regional Jet

Time Zones

Delta Turboprop

Delta Regional Jet

Queretaro

Calgary

Vancouver

Regina

Tulsa

Orange County

Sacramento

San Jose

South Bend

San Antonio

Rock Springs

Redmond/Bend Rapid City

Pasco/Richland/

Kennewick

Chicago

Omaha

Oklahoma City

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Missoula

Madison Medford Milwaukee

Kansas City

Las Vegas

Idaho Falls

Houston 

Helena

Great Falls

Gillette

Kalispell

Fresno

Fargo

Eugene

Detroit

Duluth

Dallas

Denver

Colorado Springs

Bozeman

Boise

Edmonton

Tucson

Salt Lake City

Seattle/Tacoma

Santa Barbara

San Diego

Portland

Omaha

Ontario

Long Beach

Fresno

Colorado Springs

Burbank

Boise

Montreal

Tucson

Sacramento

Salt Lake City

San Jose

San Diego

Santa Fe

Reno

Redmond/Bend

Chicago

Monterey

Milwaukee

Los Angeles

Wichita

Fresno

Eugene

El Paso

Charlottesville

Albuquerque

Yuma Tucson

Salt Lake City

San Luis Obispo

Santa Barbara

Palm Springs Phoenix

Monterey

Hermosillo

Grand Junction

Flagstaff

Fresno

El Paso

Des Moines

Durango

Bakersfield

Albuquerque

Toronto

Victoria

London

Saskatoon

Winnipeg

Yuma

Ottawa

Kelowna

Halifax

Edmonton

Northwest Arkansas 

Villahermosa

Tucson

Traverse City

Tampico

Syracuse

Springfield

Orange County

St. Louis

St. Cloud

Santa Maria

Salt Lake City

St. George Springfield San Francisco

Seattle/Tacoma

Louisville

San Luis Obispo

South Bend

Santa Barbara

San Diego

Reno

Raleigh/Durham

Redding

Pueblo

Palm Springs

Pittsburgh

Peoria

Phoenix

Portland

West Palm Beach

Paducah

North Bend

Norfolk

Ontario

Nassau

Monterrey

Montrose

New Orleans

Monterey

Minot

Moline

Muskegon

 Memphis

Miami

McAllen

Saginaw

Midland

Lincoln

Little Rock

New York

Las Vegas

Los Angeles

Lexington

Laramie

Jamestown

Jackson Hole

Indianapolis

Wichita

Hays Washington, DC

Gunnison

Grand Rapids

Grand Junction

Fort Wayne

Sioux Falls

Fresno

Hartford

El Paso

Eau Claire

Devil Lake

Des Moines

Durango

Durango

Dayton

Cincinnati

Cody

Charlotte

Cleveland

Cedar Rapids

Casper

Chico

Charleston

Columbus

Carlsbad

Houghton/Hancock

Crescent City

Burbank

Boston

Guanajuato

Bismarck

Billings

Birmingham

Bakersfield Asheville

Austin

Aspen

Appleton

Atlanta

Albany

Amarillo

Eureka/Arcata

Albuquerque

Vernal

Tucson

Twin Falls

Sun Valley

St. Louis

Salt Lake City

Los Cabos

St. George

San Francisco

Seattle/Tacoma

South Bend

San Diego

Reno

Rock Springs

Rhinelander

Puerto Vallarta

Palm Springs

Pellston

Phoenix

Portland

Pocatello

Ontario

Oakland Montrose

Minneapolis/St. Paul

Minot

Lewiston

Long Beach

Los Angeles

Lansing

Jackson Hole

International Falls

Wiliston

Iron Mountain

Wichita

Hibbing

Grand Rapids

Green Bay

Grand Junction

Spokane

Guanajuato

Fresno

Elko

Des Moines

Dickinson

Dallas

Dayton

Casper

Cody

Cincinnati

Moab

Cleveland

Sault Ste Marie

Cedar City

Burbank

Butte Brainerd

Nashville

Bemidji

Billings

Bismarck

Austin

Appleton

Atlanta

Alpena

Albuquerque

Aberdeen
CANADA

Dickinson

Delta Air Lines/Delta Connection/

Delta Joint Venture Route

Future Route Service

Route served by Alaska Airlines/

Horizon Air

Destination served by Delta / Delta 

Connection

Destination served by one of Delta’s 

Worldwide Codeshare Partners

Effective April 2014. Select routes are seasonal. Some future 

services subject to government approval. Service may be 

operated by one of Delta’s codeshare partner airlines or one 

of Delta’s Connection Carriers. Flights are subject to change 

without notice.

MEXI C O

C ANA D A

H AWAII

ALASKA

BAHAMAS

CUBA

HAITI

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Pacific

Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

Gulf

of Mexico

Pacific Ocean Miami

Orlando

West Palm Beach

Portland

Seattle/Tacoma

Boise

San Jose

Las Vegas

Burbank

San Diego

San 

Francisco Oakland

Denver

Sacramento

Salt Lake City

Tucson

Phoenix/Scottsdale

Sarasota/Bradenton

Albuquerque

Charleston

Colorado Springs

Greenville/

Spartanburg

Huntsville/

 Decatur

Pensacola

Savannah

Baltimore

Birmingham

Chicago (ORD, MDW)

Houston (IAH, HOU)

Louisville

Memphis

Milwaukee

Philadelphia

San Antonio

St. Louis

Tampa/St. Petersburg

Charlotte

Cleveland

Dallas/

Ft. Worth 

(DFW)

Detroit

Jacksonville

Kansas City

New Orleans

NewYork(JFK, LGA)

Norfolk/Virginia Beach

Omaha

Baton Rouge

Albany

Atlanta

Austin

Boston

Columbia

Columbus

Jackson

Little Rock

Nashville

Oklahoma City

Raleigh/Durham

Richmond

Tallahassee

Washington, D.C. (DCA, IAD)

Hartford/

Springfield

Cincinnati

Bozeman

Orange County

Portland

Providence

Newark

Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem

Lexington

Grand 

Rapids

Ft. Lauderdale/ Hollywood

Syracuse

Buffalo/ Niagara Falls

Knoxville Tulsa

Daytona Beach

El Paso/

Ciudad Juárez

Manchester

Melbourne

Mobile

Ontario

Ft. Myers/Naples

Ft.Walton Beach

Indianapolis

Minneapolis/

St. Paul

Dayton

Lafayette

Alexandria

Harrisburg

Madison

Shreveport

Pittsburgh

Appleton/

Fox Cities

Binghamton

Bangor

Billings

Bloomington

Burlington

Cedar Rapids/

 Iowa City Des Moines

Elmira/ Corning

Erie

Ft. Wayne

White Plains

Lansing

Midland/

Saginaw

Moline/ 

Quad 

Cities

Rochester

Springfield/

Branson

Great Falls

Sioux Falls

Spokane

Wichita

Lincoln

Montgomery

Panama City

Fayetteville/

Northwest Arkansas

Missoula

Rapid City

Reno/Tahoe

Asheville

Charleston

Akron/Canton

Gulfport/Biloxi

Chattanooga

Newburgh

Roanoke

Gainesville

Kalispell

Evansville

Monroe

Tri-Cities

Casper

Jackson Hole

Pasco/Richland

/Kennewick

Los Angeles Newport News/Williamsburg

South Bend

Helena

Flint

Idaho Falls

Allentown

Kalamazoo/ Battle Creek

Duluth

Myrtle Beach

Juneau

Honolulu Kahului

Kona

Long Beach

La Crosse Rochester

Killeen/Ft. Hood

Montrose/

Telluride

Traverse City

Hayden/Steamboat Springs

Eagle/Vail/Beaver Creek

Nantucket

Lihue

Gillette

Rock Springs

Fargo

Williston

Wausau Green Bay

Ithaca

Peoria

West Yellowstone

Anchorage

Fairbanks

Ketchikan

Elko

Palm Springs

Fresno/Yosemite

Sun Valley

Twin

Falls

Pocatello

St. George

Columbus/

Starkville/

West Point

Albany

Augusta

Wilkes-Barre/ Scranton

Brunswick

Charlottesville

Columbus/Ft. Benning

Dothan

Key West

Fayetteville/Ft. Bragg

Valdosta

State College

Wilmington

Cody

Eugene

Lewiston

Medford

Redmond/Bend

Grand Junction

Moab

Vernal

Jacksonville/Camp Lejeune

New Bern

Cedar City

Butte

Bismarck

Aberdeen

Alpena

Sault Ste. Marie

Escanaba

Grand 

Forks

Iron Mountain

Brainerd Marquette

Bemidji

Chisholm/

Hibbing

Minot International Falls

Pellston/Mackinac Island

Santa Rosa

Dallas Love Field (DAL)

Ft. Smith

Bellingham

Abbotsford

Wenatchee

Yakima

Walla 

Walla

Sitka

Mammoth 

Lakes

Pullman

Maui

Hawaii

Kauai

Oahu

Vancouver

Edmonton

Winnipeg

Saskatoon

Regina

Calgary/Banff

Toronto

Montreal

Ottawa

Halifax

Victoria

Kelowna

Whitehorse Ft. McMurray

Prince George

Charlottetown

St. John’s, NL

Martha’s Vineyard

Hilo

Thunder Bay

Moncton

Rhinelander

Aspen/

Snowmass

Deer Lake

Harlingen/ 

South Padre Island
Fact Sheet for

CRJ200

A B C D

Main Cabin Door Emergency Exit

123456 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

Emergency Exits

Galley Lavatory

Passengers

Number 50

Engines

Number Two GE CF34-3B1 turbofans

Thrust 9,220 pounds at takeoff

Dimensions

Length Overall 87 ft 10 in (26.77 m)

Wingspan 69 ft 7 in (21.21 m)

Height Overall 20 ft 5 in (6.22 m)

Cabin Maximum Width 

(centerline)

8 ft 3 in (2.51 m)

Maximum Cabin Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)

Ceiling

Maximum Operating Altitude 41,000 ft (12,496 m)

Weights

Maximum takeoff weight 

(Series 200LR)

53,000 lbs (24,040 kg)

Operating Weight Empty 30,500 lbs (13,835 kg)

Maximum Fuel Load 14,518 lbs (6,585 kg)

Maximum Payload 12,500 lbs (5,670 kg)

Performance

Maximum Range 1,100 NM (1,266 SM / 2,037 KM)

Speeds

mach knots mph km/h

Maximum Cruise Speed 0.81 464 534 860

Normal Cruise Speed 0.74 424 488 786