Order 2012-6-5

Served: June 7, 2012

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation

 on the 7th day of June, 2012

Essential Air Service at

GREENBRIER/WHITE SULPHUR 

SPRINGS, WEST VIRGINIA

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

Docket DOT-OST-2003-15553

ORDER EXTENDING SERVICE OBLIGATION

Summary

By this Order, we extend the Essential Air Service (EAS) obligation of Delta Air Lines, Inc. 

(“Delta”), at Greenbrier/White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia (“Greenbrier”), for an 

additional 30 days, through July 13, 2012.

Background

On December 16, 2011, Delta filed a 90-day notice to terminate all of its service at Greenbrier, 

effective March 15, 2012. At that time, Delta, through its Delta Connection carriers, provided 

seven (7) weekly nonstop round trips between Greenbrier and New York JFK International 

Airport and seven (7) weekly nonstop round trips between Greenbrier and Atlanta Hartsfield 

Jackson International Airport (“Atlanta”) using 50-passenger CRJ-200 aircraft. In addition, 

Gulfstream International Airlines (now known as Silver Airways) provides one nonstop round 

trip on Saturday and one on Sunday between Greenbrier and Cleveland Hopkins International 

Airport on a subsidy-free basis. Although Delta’s termination filing in December 2011 stated its 

Greenbrier service was provided by two of its Delta Connection partners (Pinnacle and ASA), 

the current service is provided by ExpressJet, another Delta Connection carrier.1 We note that 

Delta may substitute the operation of flights by ExpressJet with any of its Delta Connection 

carriers as long as comparable equipment is used in order to afford Delta maximum flexibility to 

meet its obligations.

 1 ASA’s operations were merged into ExpressJet effective December 2011.
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Because Delta’s proposed termination of service would have left Greenbrier with only 

Gulfstream’s two round trips a week, we prohibited the carrier from terminating such service at 

the end of its 90-day notice period and requested proposals for replacement service, to be due 

March 16, 2012. Subsequent to that Order, on March 12, 2012, Silver Airways (“Silver”)

requested an extension for service proposals to be due April 10, 2012, which we granted on 

March 14, 2012. One proposal for service, from Silver, was received. Community comments 

were requested, and those were due on May 10, 2012. 

Order 2012-2-7, February 9, 2012, required Delta to maintain at least 10 round trips per week to 

a large or medium hub for an initial 30-day period after the original 90-day notice period, i.e., 

through April 14, 2012. Delta’s 10-round-trip-per-week pattern was to continue through May 1, 

2012, the traditional start of Greenbrier’s summer season. In a December 19, 2011, letter, Delta 

stated that its plan was to operate those 10 round trips per week to Atlanta. Delta’s 10 round 

trips per week, plus Silver’s two round trips per week, would provide Greenbrier with 12 round 

trips per week during the off-peak season. Greenbrier’s peak season began May 1, 2012, and the 

community is entitled to 7-day-a-week service during the peak season: thus, Delta’s obligation is 

to provide 12 round trips per week. This, in addition to Silver’s twice weekly service, will 

provide Greenbrier with 14 round trips per week.

Any other proposed schedules or service patterns (e.g. less frequency, but on a nonstop basis 

to/from the hub) should be coordinated with the Department and the community.

We have extended Delta’s service obligation by a series of 30-day hold-in Orders, most recently 

by Order 2012-5-9, May 9, 2012, through June 13, 2012.

In Order 2012-5-17, May 22, 2012, the Department selected Silver to serve Greenbrier; however,

Silver will not begin replacement service by June 13, 2012. In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 

41734(c), we must extend the service Delta’s obligations for an additional 30 days, or until 

replacement service actually begins, whichever occurs first.

This Order is issued under authority assigned in 14 CFR 385.12(k)(5).

ACCORDINGLY,

1. We require Delta Air Lines, Inc. to maintain the level of Essential Air Service at 

Greenbrier/White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, as described in Order 2012-2-7, for an 

additional 30 days, through July 13, 2012, or until replacement service actually begins, 

whichever occurs first;2

2. We direct Delta Air Lines, Inc. 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 

 2 In accordance with 49 U.S.C. 41734(c), we will extend this service obligation for successive 30-day periods, as 

necessary, until suitable replacement service actually begins.
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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. Docket DOT-OST-2003-15553 will remain open until further order of the Department; and

4. We will serve copies of this order on the Mayors of Lewisburg and White Sulphur Springs, 

the airport manager of Greenbrier Valley Airport, and Delta Air Lines, Inc.

Persons entitled to petition the Department for review of this Order under the Department’s 

Aviation Economic Regulations, 14 CFR 385.50, must file such petitions within ten (10) days 

after the date of service of this Order. 

This Order will be effective immediately, and the filing of a petition for review shall not 

preclude its effectiveness.

By:

TODD M. HOMAN

Director

Office of Aviation Analysis

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document is available at

www.regulations.gov