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HAYSMED ': .. - . : : 

2220 Canterbury Dr. I P.O. Box 8100 I Hays, KS 67601 I 785.623~5000 l -FAX 785.623.5524 

www.haysmed.com I OFFICE OF PRESJDENT & CEO -- j: / ·. i l : ~ l ;~ 

December 20, 2013 

Kevin Schlemmer 

Director EAS Program 

West Building 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE 

Washington D.C. 20590 

Dear Mr. Schlemmer: 

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DEC 2 0 2013 

Hays Medical Center provides regional health services that span We~tern Kansas. In order to provide 

the vast array of needed healthcare it is vital that we attract and retain physicians, nurses and other 

specialized staff members. It is imperative that we have reliable air passenger services available in Hays 

to accomplish this feat. 

HaysMed heavily utilizes local air passenger services for physician recruitment, on site vendor meetings 

and ongoing employee training and education. Our success relies heavily on access to quality air 

passenger services. "Great Lakes", the current airline serving Hays, has not proven reliable. 

We have had numerous complaints by vendors and other business ::~ssociates about the cancelations 

and timely air service in and out of Hays. HaysMed is committed to ··'Flying Haysi/, but have lost 

confidence in the air flight service due to last minute cancellations, i<~ck of on-time service and 

inconsistent operations. At times we have been forced to utilize o~her air service out of Wichita, 

Manhattan, and Kansas City to meet our business needs. - · 

Leaving Hays to access air passenger service hurts the local Hays ecorromy. It also results in lost time 

and money forthe hospital because of the added driving time and !oss of productive work time. In the 

case of physician recruitment it often shortens the visitation windq~ for that prospective physician and 

also leaves a negative impression of Hays with the candidate. ·· 

We strongly urge you to award the contract to a new air passenger service that is committed to serving 

the local community by providing on-time, reliable service, to ben~!lt all passengers flying out of Hays. 
FORT HAYS STATE 

UNIVERSITY 

Forward thinking. World ready. 

December 20, 2013 

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT 

DEC 2 0 2013 

Kevin Schlemmer 

Director EAS Program 

West Building· . I 

1 

.. -1. ·:· 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE 

Washington D.C. 20590 

Dear Mr. Schlemmer: 

I am writing on behalf of Fort Hays State University and our region to ask that the EAS 

contract for the coming two years be awarded to SkyWest Airlines. 

The service provided by Great Lakes Airlines has never been good, but the rapid 

deterioration in reliability over the past year has created even greater hardships for 

FHSU faculty, staff and students. I personally have had flights canceled, forcing me to 

either miss meetings or make hurried trips by car between Hays and Denver. Our 

hundreds of international students are especially inconvenienced when they cannot 

make connecting flights for overseas travel. 

Considering that Great Lakes has not been able to provide even minimally adequate 

service under its current contract, I cannot imagine how it proposes to improve its 

service with a greatly reduced EAS subsidy. Circumstances such as requirements for 

more pilot hours that have created the problems for Great Lakes will only get worse. 

Fort Hays State is a thriving university. Our enr.ollment has actually more than doubled 

since the year.:.2000. Hays is a thriving community. We need the dependable air service 

the SkyWest can provide. As the name "Essential Air Service" aptly describes, and given 

our remote location, reliable commercial air service is absolutely essential to our 

university and our community. 

Great Lakes has demonstrated that it cannot provide the service we need. We trust you 

will make the decision in favor of SkyWest that will help ensure a bright future for Fort 

Hays State and the people of our region. 

··:: 

Edward H. Hammond 

President 

312 Sheridan Hall· 600 Park Street· Hays/ KS 67601-4099 

(785) 628-4231 · FAX (785) 628-4013 · www.fhsu.edu/president 
h 

HAYS AREA 

CHAMBER 

OF COMMERC'E 

Kevin Schlemmer 

Director EAS Program 

West Building 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington D.C. 20590 

Dear Mr. Schlemmer: 

2700Vine 

Hays, I<S 67601 

785-628-8201 

December 27, 2013 

On behalf of the Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and serving as the voice of the local 

business community, I am writing to ask you to award the EAS contract to SkyWest Airlines. 

The Hays Area Chamber of Commerce encourages your consideration of SkyWest to provide air passenger 

services in Hays. We are aware of increased concerns with our current airline service, as well as increased 

business professionals choosing air se.rvice In other communities, due to the unreliable services currently offered 

in Hays. It is our beliefthat if SkyWest Airlines is awarded the contract, our community will benefit In areas such 

as (and not limited to): 

)> Improved consistency and reliability with alr travel out of Hays, linking the business community with outof-state corporate staff and current or potential customers. 

> Easler access to conferences and training, demanding less out-of-office time for our business 

professionals and community leaders. 

)> Increased state and nationwide exposure for our community as well as local businesses, fostering a 

positive image of the area that will promote return future visits as well as job relocations or expansions to 

the area. 

)> A healthier local economic situation with increased sales and sales tax revenue~ thus cementing Hays and 

Ellis Countis role as a top economic pull-factor within the state. 

We believe our community and region will greatly benefit from the results of this partnership and we encourage 

you to grant Sl<yWest the EAS two-year contract for Hays. If the Chamber Board can be of any further service in 

expressing its support, please don't hesitate to contact the Chamber office at 785-628-8201. 

Regards, 

Jm~_W~ 

Tammy Wellbrock 

Executive Director 

Hays Area Chamber of Commerce 
1111111111111111111 

Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development 

December 26, 2013 

Kevin Schlemmer 

Director EAS Program 

West Building 

1200 New Jersey Ave SE 

Washington D.C. 20590 

Docket DOT-OST-1998-3497 

Mr. Schlemmer: 

I am the Executive Director for the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development, providing economic 

development for Hays, KS and Ellis County. I am writing to you in support of the decision to accept the Sky 

West proposal to provide Essential Air Services to Hays instead of our current carrier, Great Lakes. 

The City of Hays is a growing community that serves an important role In NW Kansas. As the largest NW 

Kansas community we serve as the education, healthcare, employment, and retail hub for our region. 

Reliable air s.ervice is an important part of that equation. Great Lakes, with a track record of delays and last 

minute cancelations, does not meet the needs of the community or region. 

In addition to the revenue generation related to air travel, reliable air service is important to a number of 

local businesses. One of our largest manufacturers, Enersys, is headquartered in Pennsylvania. Quick and 

efficient transportation to Hays for corporate staff, as well as current and prospective clients, Is an important 

link in their business. Unreliable air service, such as Great Lakes typically delivers, can be very costly. Loss of 

clients or potential clients is a real risk. This can lead to loss of jobs, as companies seldom expand at 

locations that are deemed too remote to reach easily. As several of our other employers grow and expand 

their domestic markets, this issue with reliable air transportation affects them as well. With clients further 

away, travel to distant locations to meet with clients, or to resolve issue quickly becomes a necessity. 

Our efforts to expand also include recruitment of new businesses to the region. One of the first questions 

often asked is regarding access to reliable alr service. Many companies now make air service a requirement 

in their Request for Proposal from any community being considered for expansion. The ability to easily move 

senior staff into a new community to oversee the construction and start-up phase of an expansion Is deemed 

critical. Again, the past record of great Lakes, especially in the last few months, shows that they cannot 

provide the level of service that this community and region needs. 

On behalf of the Coalition, I urge you to support the City of Hay's request to grant EAS to Sky West. This 

region cannot afford to continue to rely on the poor service provided by Great Lakes. The cost to our 

economy is too high. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions. 

Regards 

Aaron J. White 

Executive Director 
Midwest 

Energy, Inc. 

Earnest A. Lehman, President and General Manager 

December 31, 2013 

Kevin Schlemmer 

Director1 EAS Program 

West Building 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dear Mr. Schlemmer, 

1330 Canterbury Road 

P.O. Box898 

Hays, Kansas 67601-0898 

(785) 625-1400 

1-800-222-3121 

Fax(785)625-1494 

www.mwenergy.com 

I am writing on behalf of Midwest Energy, Inc., a member-owned cooperative providing 

electricity and natural gas utility service across central and western Kansas1 and asking your 

consideration that the EAS contract for Hays, Kansas be awarded to SkyWest Airlines • 

In the years that Great Lakes Airlines has been serving Hays, we have witnessed a continued 

deterioration in reliability. Employees and contractors attempting to fly to or from Hays on 

Great Lakes have experienced cancelled flights, late connections, and have been stranded due 

to aircraft maintenance or crew issues. I have personally been inconvenienced many times. 

Recent news reports show the problem worsening, listing Great Lakes' annual on-time 

performance at Hays at 58 percent, and dipping as low as 43 percent some months. 

Attempting to fly Great Lakes is no longer a viable option for our travelers, and today nearly all 

our company travel is accomplished from Wichita, Kansas City or Denver; respectively three, 

four and five hours away. Employees and contractors seeking reliable air travel lose as much as 

a full day of productivity on each trip. We also incur additional costs for extra hotel nights and 

increased rental car usage. These costs add up quickly and have to be borne by our member 

owners due to the simple lack of a reliable air service option at Hays. 

Years of experience have proven that Great Lakes cannot meet the air service requirements of 

Midwest Energy or those of the Hays community. I am convinced that SkyWest Airlines can 

provide the safe, reliable air service that we need. I urge you to award the EAS contract to 

SkyWest Airlines. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely,