Order 2012-5-3

Served: May 2, 2012

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation

on the 2nd day of May, 2012

ORDER EXTENDING SERVICE OBLIGATION

Summary

By this Order, the Department of Transportation extends the Essential Air Service (EAS) 

obligation of Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways 

Holdings and doing business as Frontier Airlines (Chautauqua), at Rhinelander, 

Wisconsin, for an additional 30 days, through June 9, 2012.

Background

On September 12, 2012, Chautauqua filed a 90-day notice with the Department of its 

intent to terminate its unsubsidized service at Rhinelander effective December 11, 2011. 

By Order 2011-10-15, issued October 20, 2011, the Department prohibited Chautauqua 

from suspending service through December 11, 2011, and requested proposals from 

carriers interested in providing replacement service.

By Order 2012-3-5, March 7, 2012, the Department selected Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. 

to provide EAS at Rhinelander and Ironwood, Michigan/Ashland, Wisconsin, for a twoyear period beginning when it inaugurates full service at both communities through the 

end of the 24th month thereafter. The carrier transition may not be completed by 

May 9, 2012, the end of the current (fifth) 30-day hold-in period. In accordance with 

49 U.S.C. 41734(c), we must extend Chautauqua’s service obligation for an additional 

30 days, or until replacement service actually begins, whichever occurs first.

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

ACCORDINGLY,

1. We require Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways 

Holdings and doing business as Frontier Airlines, to maintain its current level of service 

Essential Air Service at:

RHINELANDER, WISCONSIN

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

Docket DOT-OST-2011-0109
- 2 -

at Rhinelander, Wisconsin, as set forth in Appendix A, for an additional 30-day period 

through June 9, 2012, or until a carrier capable of providing reliable EAS actually begins 

service, whichever is first1;

2. We direct Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Republic Airways 

Holdings and doing business as Frontier Airlines to retain all books, records, and other 

source and summary documentation to support subsidy 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 service 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;

3. This Docket will remain open until further Order of the Department; and

4. We will serve copies of this Order on the parties listed in Appendix B.

By:

SUSAN L. KURLAND

Assistant Secretary for Aviation

and International Affairs

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available

on the World Wide Web at http://www.regulations.gov

 1 In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 41734(c), we will extend Chautauqua’s service obligation for successive 

30-day periods as necessary until replacement service actually begins.
Appendix A

Chautauqua Airlines, Inc., d/b/a Frontier Airlines

Provision of Essential Air Service at Rhinelander, Wisconsin

Summary of Service To Be Provided

Effective Period: Beginning December 12, 2011 until further Department action

Scheduled Service: 12 nonstop round trips each week to Milwaukee

Aircraft type: Embraer 135 (37-seats) or Embraer 145 (50-seats).

Intermediate stops and 

upline service:

No service to any other intermediate point is contemplated under the 

terms of the carrier’s proposal; accordingly, no such service may be 

provided on subsidized flights without prior Department approval.

Timing of flights: Flights must be well-timed and well-spaced in order to ensure full 

compensation.
Appendix B

SERVICE LIST

Chautauqua Airlines, Josh Pascoe

Frontier Airlines, Daniel Shurz

Rhinelander/Oneida County Airport, Joseph Brauer