Order: 2015-5-20

Served: May 26, 2015

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation

on the 26th of May, 2015

Essential Air Service at

JAMESTOWN, NEW YORK

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

Docket DOT-OST-2003-14950

ORDER CONFIRMING ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE ELIGIBILTY

Summary

By this Order, the Department finds that Jamestown, New York, averaged more than 10

enplanements per day in Fiscal Year 2014 and, thus, remains eligible for continued participation 

in the Essential Air Service (EAS) program.

Background

The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 amended 49 U.S.C. § 41731(a)(1)(B) to 

change the definition of “eligible place” for the purpose of receiving EAS. The amendment 

states that to be eligible, a community must maintain an average of 10 enplanements or more per 

service day, as determined by the Secretary, during the most recent fiscal year beginning after 

September 30, 2012. The legislation exempts locations in Alaska and Hawaii and communities

that are more than 175 driving miles from the nearest large or medium hub airport.1 The 

Secretary also has the authority to waive the 10-enplanement requirement on an annual basis, if 

the community can demonstrate that the reason the location averages fewer than 10 

enplanements per day is due to a temporary decline in enplanements.2

On May 19, 2015, the Department issued Order 2015-5-14 tentatively finding that four 

communities did not achieve the 10-enplanement requirement: Jamestown, New York; Mason 

City, Iowa; Show Low, Arizona, and Victoria, Texas.

On May 21, 2015, the Manager of Airports and Parks for Chautauqua County, New York, which 

oversees the Chautauqua County-Jamestown Airport (“Jamestown” or “JHW”), filed an 

 1 49 U.S.C. § 41731(c) & (d). 

2 49 U.S.C. § 41731(e). 
- 2 -

objection via e-mail3 to the Division Chief of the EAS program questioning the passenger 

numbers in the Department’s order, claiming that the actual passenger numbers were sufficient to 

put Jamestown over the 10-enplanement requirement, and providing documentation in support of 

his claims. The documentation showed an enplanement per day calculation of 11.4 passengers. 

In response, the Department conducted a review of its internal data and confirmed that 7,207 

revenue passengers were enplaned or deplaned at JHW, an average of 11.5 passengers a day, 

clearly above the 10-enplanement per day requirement.

Upon consideration of the documentation provided by Jamestown and further review of the 

enplanement numbers for this community, the Department finds that Jamestown generated a total 

of 7,207 passengers in Fiscal Year 2014, thus putting the community over the 10-enplanement 

requirement. See Appendix A for traffic and calculation methodology (consistent with the 

procedure described in Order 2015-5-14). As a result, the Department finds that Jamestown is an 

eligible community in the EAS program.

ACCORDINGLY,

1. The Department finds that Jamestown, New York, had an average of more than 10 

enplanements per day in Fiscal Year 2014 and, thus, is an eligible community in the Essential 

Air Service (EAS) program;

2. The Department will address the status of Mason City, Iowa, Show Low, Arizona, and 

Victoria, Texas, in a subsequent order; and

3. The Department will serve copies of this Order on the mayors, civic, and airport officials at 

the communities named above.

By:

BRANDON M. BELFORD

Deputy Assistant Secretary for

Aviation and International Affairs

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available 

at http://www.regulations.gov

 3 Jamestown’s objection, along with supporting documentation, may be viewed at www.regulations.gov by entering 

DOT-OST-2003-14950 in the “Search” field.
DOT’s recalculation of Jamestown’s Fiscal Year 2014 traffic data

Apt Year Month Uniquecarriername Enplaned Deplaned Total

JHW 2013 10 Silver Airways 328 302 630

JHW 2013 11 Silver Airways 264 253 517

JHW 2013 12 Silver Airways 308 328 636

JHW 2014 1 Silver Airways 250 170 420

JHW 2014 2 Silver Airways 334 298 632

JHW 2014 3 Silver Airways 337 321 658

JHW 2014 4 Silver Airways 369 388 757

JHW 2014 5 Silver Airways 256 287 543

JHW 2014 6 Silver Airways 221 283 504

JHW 2014 7 Silver Airways 406 397 803

JHW 2014 8 Silver Airways 392 375 767

JHW 2014 9 Silver Airways 173 167 340

7,207

Enplanements per day - 11.5 (7,207 divided by 2 directions divided by 313 days)