Order 2012

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- 23 Served: June 26 , 2012



### UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation on the 26 th day of June, 2012

Essential Air Service at

FORT DODGE, IOWA MASON CITY, IOWA THIE F RIVER FALLS, MINNESOTA WATERTOWN, SOUTH DAKOTA

Under 49 U.S.C. 41731 et seq

. DOCKET DOT

- OST

- 2001

- 10682 DOCKET DOT

- OST

- 2001

- 10684 DOCKET DOT

- OST

- 2001

- 10642 DOCKET DOT

- OST

- 2001

- 10644

ORDER ESTABLISHING CONTRACT PERIOD

SUMMARY B y th i s O rd e r, the D e p a rtme n t i s establishing the effective period for the Essential Air Service (EAS) contracts awarded to Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., by O rder 2011

- 11

- 30. That order stated that the contracts would be effective through the 24 th month after Great Lakes commenced full EAS at all six communities that they were awarded

. Great Lakes subsequently filed notice with the Department that they would not be able to provide service at the communities of Br ainerd, MN

, and Iron Mountain, MI . The Department will therefore use May 17, 2012

, as the effective
start

- date, when Great Lakes established EAS at all of the remaining communities

. The contracts will thus expire at the end of the 24

- month period thereafte r: May 31, 2014.

BACKGROUND On November 23, 2011 the Department issued O rder 2011

- 11

- 30 selecting Great Lakes to provide EAS at six communities: Fort Dodge, IA; Mason City, IA; Iron Mountain, MI; Brainerd, MN; Thief River Falls, MN and; Watertown, SD. The Order established subsidy rates a nd stated that the contracts would be effective through the 24

- month period following when Great Lakes commenced full EAS service at all six communities.

However, i n an e

- mail dated June 11, 2012, Great Lakes informed the D epartment that due to an aggressive expansion of its operations as well as lack of gate and ramp space at its Minneapolis

St. Paul hub, it would not be able to provide EAS for the communities of Brainerd, MN

, and IronMountain, MI

, and asked the Depa rtment to re

- bid th ose EAS contracts

. 1 As the original O rder selecting the carrier stated that the contracts would cover the 24

- month period following Great Lakes ’ commencement of service at all six communities, the Department will establish the
contract s as beginning on the date when Great Lakes commenced service at the remaining four communities

.

This order is issued under the auth ority delegated in 14 C

. F

. R

. 385.12 (k)(1).

ACCORDINGLY,

1. The Department sets the termination date of the EAS contracts awarded to Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd., to serve Fort Dodge, IA; Mason City, IA ; Thief River Falls, MN and ; Watertown, SD under O rder 2011

- 11

- 30 as May 31, 2014; and

2. We will serve a copy of this Order on the Mayors and airport managers of Fort Dodge, IA; M ason City, IA ; Thief River Falls, MN and; Watertown, SD

, and Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd.

By:

TODD M. HOMAN Director Office of Aviation Analysis

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available online at: www.regulations.gov

1 Great Lakes also asked the Department to re

- bid its EAS contracts at Rhinelander, WI, and International Falls, MN, which are covered in a separate o rder.