BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

_________________________________________

)

Application of )

)

EASTERN AIR LINES GROUP, INC. ) DOCKET OST-2014-0012/13

) 

for Certificates of Public Convenience )

and Necessity (Interstate and Foreign )

Passenger Charter Service) )

__________________________________________)

MOTION OF EASTERN AIR LINES GROUP, INC.

TO SHORTEN ANSWER PERIOD

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Edward J. Wegel

President and CEO

EASTERN AIR LINES GROUP, INC.

Building 5A, Miami Int’l Airport

Miami, FL 33142

(305) 869-4249

ed.wegel@easternairlines.aero

John R. Mietus, Jr.

Law Office of John Mietus, LLC

6701 Democracy Blvd., Suite 300

Bethesda, MD 20817-7500

(202) 747-5212

john@mietuslaw.com

Counsel for EASTERN AIR LINES

GROUP, INC.

NOTICE: Eastern requests than answers to this motion be filed no later 

than March 5, 2015. Eastern is polling U.S. carriers served with this 

application.

February 26, 2015
BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

_________________________________________

)

Application of )

)

EASTERN AIR LINES GROUP, INC. ) DOCKET OST-2014-0012/13

) February 26, 2015

for Certificates of Public Convenience )

and Necessity (Interstate and Foreign )

Passenger Charter Service) )

__________________________________________)

MOTION OF EASTERN AIR LINES GROUP, INC.

TO SHORTEN ANSWER PERIOD

Pursuant to Rule 11 of the Department's Rules of Practice, 14 C.F.R. 

§ 302.11, Eastern Air Lines Group, Inc. respectfully moves the Department to 

shorten the answer period associated with any show cause order it may issue 

with respect to Eastern’s requests for interstate and foreign passenger 

charter authority.

On January 28, 2014 Eastern applied for Certificates of Public 

Convenience and Necessity pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 41102 authorizing 

Eastern to engage in interstate and foreign charter air transportation of 

persons, property, and mail. Since that initial filing, Eastern has provided 

updates on its financing, management, and other issues relating to its

fitness, and Eastern’s applications are ripe for action by the Department. 
Eastern

Motion

Page 2

Eastern also anticipates that its FAA certification will be complete as early 

as April 15, 2015.

Eastern wishes to commence revenue operations immediately once 

FAA certification is complete, and in reviewing the market, Eastern 

anticipates that a substantial portion of customer requests will involve 

foreign air transportation. Eastern therefore requests that the Department, 

in any show cause order it issues tentatively granting Eastern's request for 

interstate and/or foreign charter authority, reduce its standard fourteen-day 

objection and seven-day answer period for such orders to five days (for 

objections) and three days (for answers thereto). This will decrease the 

objection/answer period by sixteen days, which is of primary importance to 

Eastern’s foreign air transportation plans, since any tentative grant of 

foreign authority will be subject to Presidential review under 49 U.S.C. §

41307 for up to 60 additional days. While the primary rationale for the 

requested relief relates to foreign authority, for administrative convenience 

Eastern proposes identical objection/answer periods for action on both its 

interstate and foreign certificate applications. As in the two cases cited 

below, Eastern will poll U.S. carriers served with this Motion regarding their 

position on it and will report the results to the Department.

Last year the Department granted similar relief to two carriers. By 

Order 2014-12-8 (at 10), the Department shortened the answer period to its 

tentative finding that Sky King was fit to resume interstate and foreign