Order 2012-10-21

Served: October 24, 2012

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation

on the 24th day of October, 2012

ORDER TEMPORARILY EXTENDING CURRENT SUSBIDY

Summary

By this Order, the Department is extending the contract established under Order 2010-10-5 

(October 7, 2010) for Pacific Wings’ Essential Air Service (EAS) operations at Athens, GA, 

from October 1, 2012, until such time as SeaPort Airlines’ replacement service commences.

Background

By Order 2010-10-5 (October 7, 2010), the Department selected Pacific Wings, L.L.C. dba 

Georgia Skies (Pacific Wings) to provide EAS at Athens, Georgia, for the two-year period 

ending September 30, 2012. Under that contract, Pacific Wings provides two nonstop round 

trips a day (12 a week) with 9-seat Cessna Caravan aircraft for an annual subsidy of $1,051,386. 

In anticipation of that contract’s expiration, we issued Order 2012-7-15 (July 13, 2012) 

soliciting proposals from carriers interested in providing EAS at Athens for a new contract 

period beginning October 1, 2012. In response to our request, we received proposals from four 

carriers: Sovereign Air, Inc. (Sovereign), Sun Air Express dba Sun Air International (Sun Air), 

Multi-Aero, Inc. dba Air Choice One (Air Choice One), and SeaPort. Pacific Wings did not 

submit a proposal to continue service. By Order 2012-9-27 (September 28, 2012), the 

Department selected SeaPort Airlines, Inc. (SeaPort) to provide EAS at Athens.

Decision

SeaPort expects to begin replacement service on or about November 1, 2012. Therefore, we 

will temporarily extend the EAS contract awarded to Pacific Wings as established by Order 

2010-10-5 from October 1, 2012, until such time as SeaPort begins full EAS at Athens.

This Order is issued under authority delegated in 49 CFR Part 1.56a(f).

Essential Air Service at

ATHENS, GEORGIA

Under 49 U.S.C. § 41731 et seq.

DOCKET DOT-OST-2002-11348
ACCORDINGLY,

1. The Department requires Pacific Wings, L.L.C. dba Georgia Skies, to continue to provide 

EAS at Athens, GA, at service levels and subsidy rates as established in Order 2010-10-5, until 

such time as SeaPort begins replacement service;

2. We direct Pacific Wings, L.L.C. to retain all books, records, and other source and summary 

documentation to support claims for payment, and to preserve and maintain such 

documentation in a manner that readily permits its audit and examination by representatives of 

the Department. Such documentation shall be retained for seven years from the issuance date 

of this Order or until the Department indicates that the records may be destroyed, whichever 

comes first. Copies of flight logs for aircraft sold or disposed of must be retained. The carrier 

may forfeit its compensation for any claim that is not supported under the terms of this Order;

4. Docket DOT-OST-2002-11348 will remain open until further order of the Department; and

5. The Department will serve a copy of this Order on the mayor and airport manager of Athens,

Pacific Wings, and SeaPort.

By:

SUSAN L. KURLAND

Assistant Secretary for

Aviation and International Affairs

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available online at

www.regulations.gov