INTERNATIONAl FAllS-KOOCHICHING COUNTY 

AIRPORT COMMISSION 

INTERNATIONAl FAllS MIINNESOTA 

218-283-0738 

FAllS INTERNATIONAl AIRPORT 

600 Fourth Str~t 

INTERNATIONAl FAllS MN 56649 

September 6, 2011 

FROM 

TO 

Susan Baratono, INL 

Dennis DeVany, USDOT 

RE INL EAS concerns 

It is our understanding that Great Lakes Airlines, at the behest of Delta, plans to put in a proposal for 

service to International Falls and that the following features would apply: 

1. There would be no code-sharing, i.e., we would have a two-ticket process. Passengers would 

have to buy a Great Lakes ticket to MSP and then go elsewhere to buy a ticket for travel beyond 

MSP. 

2. If an airline other than Delta is chosen for the second leg of a trip, there would be no continuity 

of baggage service. 

3. Likewise, travelers would only be credited for their INL-MSP miles if they continued on with 

Delta. 

4. It is our understanding that Great Lakes aircraft cannot accommodate a jetway, so passengers 

would have to deplane via steps and then walk the tarmac to reach the terminal. 

5. It is our further understanding that these aircraft do not have restrooms or flight attendants. 

6. It is also our understanding that Great Lakes Airlines has an unfortunate record for reliability. 

In re Items 1-3, it seems clear that some people might perhaps choose an airline other than Delta for the 

second leg of a trip for cost-saving reasons. But if they do that, they will have to put up with 

considerable inconveniences, such as handling their own baggage at MSP, resubmitting to security 

procedures and loss of frequent flier miles. 

As to Items 4-6, these are inconveniences that our travelers have not had to put up with in the past and 

that will certainly not be appreciated now. The restroom and flight attendant issues might seem trivial, 

but we are very far from MSP and if travelers arriving there then have to walk long distances and go 

through security again, there could be some significant discomfort involved. In addition, this situation 

would make it even more difficult to make timely connections to a destination beyond MSP. 

It is the consensus of the commission that, while some people might choose to do the two-ticket Great 

Lakes/Delta combo, many more are likely to skip INL altogether and start their trip in Hibbing or Bemidji, 

which will retain Delta jet service at least for the interim, or to Duluth, where they can also choose to fly 

United if they wish. None of those choices would require an overnight. Others might choose to make the 
longer journey to MSP, which might involve an overnight, but which will look considerably less 

inconvenient than it used to, given the new hassles of flying from INL. 

Since the start of our current EAS arrangement, beginning in June of last year with its more appropriate 

and user-friendly schedule, we have seen a very noticeable improvement in our enplanements- actually 

a continuing resurgence to the levels we had before the whole process began. We have every reason to 

believe this trend would continue if things stay as they are. We realize that this is not likely to happen, 

but i~ also seems that our enplanements will become unstable and will deteriorate radically under the 

conditions listed above as part of the Great Lakes agenda. 

We began working late last year with a consultant to develop a new marketing program and were just 

about to launch it when the Delta announcement arrived on July 15. The marketing plan was aimed at 

putting as many people as possible onto airplanes once the Saabs went away and we had the 

responsibility of filling larger aircraft. That program is now on hold as we wait to see what indeed we will 

have to work with in terms of marketing. We are standing by to do our part but, to be frank, such a 

marketing effort would likely prove quite futile if we end up with an arrangement that looks like the one 

being tentatively discussed by Great Lakes. 

Tomorrow, representatives of Great Lakes will be meeting with the statewide Local Air Service Action 

Committee at the offices of MnDOT Aeronautics in St. Paul. Someone from the commission, and quite 

probably the other impacted airports, will update you on the results of that meeting. 

We look forward to working with you again as we all try to craft a new arrangement that will serve our 

community and our region well and, at the same time, accommodates a carrier who is interested in 

meeting our special needs. We are counting on your expertise and your continuing concern.