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November 18, 2011 

Detinis J. DeVany, Chief •• - ' 

iisseutial Air Service Division ' 

< )£fiee- cf Aviation Analysis TM 

'Jear Mr. DeVany, 

On July 15. 2011 Mesabii/Pimiacle d/b/a Delta Connection filed notice to terminate 

service in Thief River Falls, MN. Subsequently on September 13, 2011 the 

Department of Transportation issued a ''hold-in" order seqwiring Mesaba/Pinnacle 

Lo continue service and requested proposals for replacement service by October 12, 

2011 (later extended to October 14'''). Potential carriers that met the October 14"' 

deadline arc as follows: Air Choice One, Bemidji Airlines, Great Lakes Aviation, 

and Sovereign Air. 

Of the aforementioned airlines. Air Choice One and Sovereign Air are proposing a 

one-stop route structure, tagging Thief River Falls with either International Falls or 

Chisholm/Hibbing. While the Thief River Falls Regional Airport*Authority 

appreciates the interest expressed by these two airlines. coTirimunity comments 

regarding air service have overwhelmingly identified the current one-stop structure 

as a major lector for not utilizing the service. In atiditiohto ah inadequate service 

route, it is our understanding tluvt Sovereign Air is not currently in operation. For 

these reasons the Airport Authority feels tJiat Air Choice One and Sovereign Air are 

not adequate replacements for air service. 

While Bemidji Airlines' proposal of three (3) non-stop flights per.day to MSP is 

appealing, the limited ability for passengers to connect to othcj^destinations is^of , 

great concern. The proposal submitted by Bemidji Airlines does not mention any* 

form of interline or codeshare agreement, a factor our community feels is necessary 

to .sustain (and grow) enplanements. Ajiother concern regarding service by Bemidji 

Airlines is the type of aircraft proposing to be used and its limited number of seats. 

Finally, Great Takes Aviation proposes to provide non-slop .service to MSP at a 

frequency of 12 times per week using a Beech I900D (I'> passenger) aircraft. Of 

the carriers that bid and are currently in operation, Great Lakes Aviation proposes 

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Page 2 of 3 

the lowest subsidy requirement of $ 1,881,815. In addition to a relatively low 

subsidy requirement. Great Lakes Aviation currently has in place many interline 

agreements with caiTJers at MSP allowing travelers to easily connect to other 

destinations. Furthermore, Great Lakes Aviation has the future ability to issue 

"frequent flyer miles" on Delta as well as e-ticketing through Delta.com eind 

seamless baggage handling with all interlining carriers. For these reasons, the Thief 

River Falls Regional Airport Authority would like to express its desire to see Great 

Lakes Aviation replace Mesaba/Pinnaclc for air service in Thief River Falls, MN. It 

is also the Airport Authority's recommendation that - should Great Lakes Aviation 

be awarded the Devils Lake, Jamestown, and Thief River Falls markets - service 

from Devils Lake be tagged with Jamestown, By tagging Devils Lake with 

Jamestown and with a cooperative marketing effort between the Airline and the 

Airport, a dedicated non-stop flight with us^' of all available seats will result in 

dramatically increased ridership here in Thief River Falls. ^i!;. • . •- jf** 

Respectflilly, 

•^Joe Hedrick 

Airport Manager 

Thief River Falls Regional Airport 

•^^. -

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Page 3 of3 

TK^ef River Falls Regional Airport Authority 

len Kajewsl 

Authority Chaij^je/son 

City Councilmember 

r: /r;\^ ^^-J^0,li,^^ 

Don Jens^ 

AuthOji^ify Vice-Chair 

Cotuity Commissioner 

Darryi Tvditbakk 

Authority Secretary 

County Commissioner 

^..:.:.... 

Nancy Tofte 

Authority Treasurer 

Rocksbury Township Chairperson 

'Steve iQordhagen '^—-^ 

Authority Member 

Thief River Falls Mayor