### DecKt- T DO T - OST - - 3L. 0 3 ~ \ IH^ 4 C D

& us . D<portmwi t o f ) 20 0 Ne w jerse y Avenue , S E TtansportoHo n Marc h 29 , 201 0 Washington , D C 2059 0 Offic e o ( th e Secretar

y o t Transportatio n Chuc k Pilla r r~ ^ Airpor t Manage r Altoona/Blai r

Count y Airpor t 2 Airpor t Driv e Martinsburg , PA 1666 2 Dea r Mr . Pillar , ~^ ' I woul d lik

e to updat e you o n th e essential air servic e (EAS ) situatio n a t Altoona/Blai r

Count y Airpor t and Joh n Murth aJohnstown-Cambri aAirpor t an d giv e yo u a

n opportunit

y t o offe r an y comment s on th e record befor e we submi t

arecommendatio n t

o th e Assistan t

Secretar y fo r Aviatio n and Internationa l Affairs . A s yo u know , Colgan Air

Inc. , operatin g a s Unite d Expres s (Colgan) , i s th e curren t EA S provide r

a t you r community , an d thei r

contrac t expire s Jun e 30 , 2010 . In anticipatio n o f that , w e issue d Orde r

2010-2-28 , Februar y 26 , 2010 , solicitin g proposal s fro mcarrier s intereste d in providin g subsidize d EA S fo r anew , two-yea r period , beginnin g Jul y I , 2010 , I n respons e to our

request , fou

r carrier s responded : Charter Ai r Transpor t (Charter) , Colgan , Gulfstrea mInternationa l Airline s (Gulfstream) , an d Sovereig n Air , Inc . (Sovereig n Air) . You shoul d hav e receive d acop y o f th e proposal s fro

meac h carrier , an

d they ca n b e accesse d a

t www.regulations.go v b y enterin g th e number s DOT-OST-2002-1144 6 fo r Altoon aan

d DOT-OST-2002
- 1145 1 fo r Johnstow n in th e searc h block . A s aresult , w e wil l only briefly summariz e themhere . Charte r ha s propose d on e servic e optio n usin g 30-sea t Embrae r EMB-12 0 aircraf

t operatin g tw o roun d trip s eac h da y excep t Saturda y ove r a n AJtoona-Johnstown-Washingto n Dulle s routing , and on e roun d tri p eac h da y excep t Saturda y over a n Altoona-Johnstown-Pittsburg h routin g fo r acombine d annual subsidy o f $2,960,205 . Colgan ha s propose d on e servic e optio n to provid e bot h communitie s wit

h thre e roun d trip s eac h weekda y an d eac h weeken d (1 8 aweek) , wit h ami x o f nonstop s an d on e sto p servic e ove r a n Altoona-Johnstown
Washingto n Dulle s o

r Johnstown-Altoona-Washingto n Dulle s routin g usin g 34-sea t Saa b 34 0 aircraf

t fo r a n annua l subsidy o f

$3,348,294 . Gulfstrea mha s propose d fou

r servic e options , al l o f

whic h woul d us e l9-seat

Beechcraf

t 190 0 aircraft . Optio n 1 woul d operat e to Clevelan d a s Continenta l Express ; Option s 2- 4 woul d operat e to Pittsburg h and b e unbranded . Optio n 1 woul d offe r fou r weekda y roun d trip s and atota

l of fou r weeken d roun d trip s (2 4 a week) , over

aCleveland-Altoona-Johnstown-Clevelan d routin g o r Cleveland-Johnstown-Altoona
Clevelan d routing , fo

r a n annual subsid

y of $3,874,464 . Optio n 2 woul d offe r thre e nonsto p roun d trip s eac h weekda

y an d weeken d (18 aweek ) over a n Altoona-Pittsburg h routin g fo r a n annual subsid

y of $ 1,983,918 . Optio n 3 woul d offe r thre e nonsto p roun d trip s eac h weekda y an d weeken d (18 aweek ) ove r a Johnstown-Pittsburg h routin g fo r a n annual subsidy o f

$ 1,749,981 . Optio n 4 woul d offe r fou r weekda y roundtrip s and atota

l of fou r weeken d roun d trip s wit

h ami x o f nonsto p an

d one-sto p .servic e ove

r a Pittsburgh-Altoona-Johnstown-Pitt-sburg h routin g o r Pittsburgh-Johnstown-Altoona-Pittsburg h routin g fo r a n annua l subsidy o f

$3,301,212 . Sovereig n Ai

r ha s propose d thre e servic e options . Whil e al l thre e option s would us e Kin g Ai r 35 0 aircraft , under Optio n 1 , i

t woul d b e configure d fo

r 1 2 .seats , and under

Option s 2 an

d 3 , 9 seats . Optio n 1 woul d offe r five dail y roun d trip s (3 5 aweek ) over aJohnstown-Altoona-Washingto n Dulle s routin g fo r a n annua l subsid y o f $1,103,603 . Optio n 2 woul d offe r fou r dail y nonsto p roun d trip s (2 8 aweek ) ove r aJohnstown
-Washingto n Dulle s routin g fo r a n annual subsidy o f

$1,117,417 . Optio n 3 woul d offe r fou r dail y nonsto p roundtrip s (2 8 aweek

) over a n Altoona-Washingto n Dulle s routin g fo r a n annual subsidy of

$1,231,939 . Th e schedule s tha

t th e carrier s hav e propose d ar e illustrativ e onl y and they ma y mak e schedul e change s t

o reflec t changin g conditions , e.g. , to bette r mee t shiftin g connectin g ban

k time s a t th e hub . However , th e Departmen t

doe s expec t

asubsidize d ai r

carrie r to maintai n well-time d an d well-space d flight s in order to ensur e ful l compensation . We reques t

tha t yo u revie w th e proposal s an d submi t any comment s you ma

y hav e a s soo n a s possible , bu t n o late r than Apri l 23 . W e wil l carefull y conside r you r comment s befor

e w e submi t

arecommendatio n to th e Assistan t

Secretar y fo r adecision . Pleas e send you

r comment s vi ae-mai l t o EAS@dot.go v o r by fa x t o 202-366-7638 . I

f you hav e an

y questions , pleas e fee

l free to contac t

Michae l Marti n o f

m y staf f a t michael.f.martin@dut.go v o r 202-366
- 6494 . Sincerely , 

# 0 LiMcKw M Denni s J . D^any , Chie f Essentia l Ai

r Servic e Divisio n Offic e o f Aviatio n Analysi s cc : Th e Honorabl e Willia

mSchirf , Mayo r o f th e Cit y o f Altoon a Th e Honorabl e Thoma s Trigona , Mayo r of th e Cit y o f Johnstow n Scot t Voelker , Joh n Murth aJohnstow n Cambri aAirpor t