# Q tmehto f 

### -7ARTMEH T O F V'J3P0R1'ATI0^ ' ;-L i OPERATION S us . Departmen t o f 120 0 Ne w Jerse y Avenue , S

E TransportCrtio n ? :: | ^' P ] C O j^ ; '^ 5 Washington , D C 2059 0 Offic e o f th e S« f tetor

y ofTransportatio h

Septembe r

Ip , 201 1 Bo b Whitmej r Airport Directo r Owensbor o Ipavies s County Regiona l Airport 220 0 Airport] R d Owensboro , k V 4230 1 Dea r Mr . Whitmer : I woul dlik e ^

o updat e yo u o n th e essentia l ai r servic e situatio n a

t Owensbor o an dgiv e yo u an oppoijtunit

y t o submi t

an y comment s i

f yo u wish . I n respons e t o Pacifi c Wings ' 90-da y notict

k o f inten t t o terminat e service , th e Departmen t issue dOrde r

2011-8-6 , Augus t 19 , 2011 , t o solici t

proposal s fro mal l intereste dai r carrier s t o provid e EA S a t Owensbor o for

atwo-year

term . In respons e t o tha t order , w e receive dproposal s fro m Hyanni s Ai r

:^ervice , Inc . d^/ aCap e Ai r (Cap e Air) , Multi-Aero , Inc . d^/ aAi r Choic e On e (Ai r Choic e One) , SeaPort

Airlines , Inc . (SeaPort) , an dTransportAzumah . Copie s o f eac| h proposa l may b e accesse donlin e at http://www.reguIations.go v b y enterin g DOt-OST-2000-785 5 i n th e "Enter Keywor do r

ID " section . Cap e Ai r propose s thre e dail y nonsto p roun dtrip s (2 1 pe r week ) t o Lambert-St . Loui s Internationa l jAirpor

t (St . Louis ) usin g 9-passenge r Cessn a40 2 aircraft . Th e carrie r expect s t o offje

r acode-shar e agreemen t

with America n Airlines . Cap e Ai r propose s a

n annua l subsidl

y o f $1,829,680 , for

atwo-year

term , o r an armual subsid y o f

$1,784,89 8 fo r afour-year

term . Ai r Choic e O l e propose dfou r options , eac h operatin g with 9-passenge r Cessn aGran d Carava n aircraft . Optio n 1 i s thre e nonsto p roun dtrip s eac h weekda y an dweeken d(1 8 pe r week ) t o St . Loui s fo

r a n annua l subsid y o f

$1,504,893 . Optio n 2 i s thre e dail y nonsto p roun(j l trip s (2 1 pe r week ) to St . Loui s for

a n armua l subsid y o

f $1,579,756 . Optio n 3 i s thte e nonsto p roun dtrip s eac h weekday an dweeken d(1 8 pe r week ) t o Nashvill e Intelrnationa

l Airpor t (Nashville ) for

a n annua l subsid y o f

SL426,475 ,- 2

Optio n 4 i s ^hree dail y roun dtrip s t o Nashvill e (2 1 pe r week ) for

a n annua l subsid y of $l,566,823.j I

n addition . Ai r

Choic e On e state s that

eac h of it s four option s woul doffe

r 1 0 nonsto p roun dtrip s eac h wee k o n a n unsubsidize dbasis . Unde r Option s 1 an d2 , i

t propose s fiv e nonsto p roun dtrip s t o Chicago O'Har e an dfiv e additiona l nonsto p roun d trip s t o St . Louis . Unde r

Option s 3 an d4 , it

propose s fiv e nonsto p roun dtrip s t o Chicag o O'Har e an dfiv e additiona l nonsto p roun dtrip s t o Nashville . However , th e propose d unsubsidize dservic e i s outsid e th e scop e o f th e EA S program , thus

> i f selected , w e coul d no t requir e tjha

t Ai r Choic e On e provid e th e servic e an dw e wil l no t conside r i t i n ou r carrier-selecjtio n decision .

I SeaPort pro]j)ose s thre e options , al l usin g 9-passenge r Cessn aCarava n aircraft . Optio n 1 i s thre e nongto p roun dtrip s eac h weekda y an dweeken d(1 8 pe r week ) t o Nashvill e for

a n annua l subsi|d

y o f $1,029,08 0 (firs t

year ) an d$1,024,11 4 (secon dyear) . Optio n 2 i s tw o nonsto p rouft

dtrip s eac h weekda y an dweeken d(1 2 pe r week ) t o St . Loui s an don e nonsto p rouiji

dtri p eac h weekda y an dweeken d( 6 pe r week ) t o Memphi s Internationa l Airport for a n annua l subsid y of

$1,297,49 2 (firs t

year ) an d$1,353,55 7 (secon dyear) . Optio n 3 i s tw o nonsto p roun dtrip s eac h weekda y an dweeken d(1 2 pe r week ) t o St . Loui s an don e nonsto p roun dtri p eac h weekda y an dweeken d( 6 pe r week ) t o Nashvill e for a n annua l subsid y o f

$1,278,92 9 (firs t

year ) an d$1,254,17 1 (secon dyear) . TransportAzumah propose s tw o groun dtransportatio n options , both utilizin g a47

- passenge r bMs . Optio n 1 i s four

dail y roun dtrip s t o Nashvill e Internationa l Airport for a n aimual subsid y o f

$377,151 . Optio n 2 i s si x dail y roun dtrip s t o Nashvill e Internationa l Airport for a h annua l subsid y o f

$545,727 . Pleas e not e tfia

t th e averag e passenge r

fare s show n i n th e proposa l d o no t necessaril y reflec t th e avierag e loca l fare Owensbor o passenger s woul dactuall y pay , but , rather , reflec t aprorate dportio n o f

th e tota l ticke t

price , e.g. , th e Owensbor o - St . Loui s portio n of aOwensbor o - St . Loui s - Washington , D.C . ticke t tha t Grea t Lake s woul drealize . Also , th e far

^ show n i s ne t

o f certai n charge s suc h a s Federa l transportatio n security fees , excis e o r tickje t taxes , an dPassenge r

Facilit y Charges . O f

course , carrier s hav e th e discretio n t o charg e fare s the y deemappropriate , an dth e passenge r fare s presente di n thi s proposa l hav ^ bee n develope dfor subsid y rat e computatio n purpose s only . Yo u shoul dals o not e that th e schedule s tha t

th e carrie r

ha s submitte dar e illustrativ e only , an dtha t the y may mak e schedul e change s t o reflec t changin g conditions , e.g. , t o bette r mee t shiftin g connectin g ban k time s a t th e hub . Th e Departmen t expect s subsidize dai r carrier s t o maintai n well-time dan dwell-space dflight s i n orde r t o ensur e full compensatioij . W e as k tha t ^jo u submi t an y comment s yo u ma

y hav e a s soo n a s possible , bu t i n any cas e n o late r than Octobe r

5 , 2011 . W e wil l carefull y conside r you r comment s befor e w e submi t arecommendatio n t o th e Assistan t Secretary for

adecision . Shoul dyo u hav e an y question s o r

liee dadditiona l tim e t o draf t you r comments , pleas e le t

u s know .Pleas e sendlyou r comment s vi ae-mai l t o EAS@dot.go v o r b y fa x t o 202-366-7638 . I

f yo u hav e any questions , pleas e fee l fre e t o contac t Kevi n Schlemme r

o f m y staf f a t kevin.schlein-inier@dot.go v o r 202-366-3176 . A similar lef:te r ha s bee n sen t

t o th e Mayo r

o f Owensboro . Sincerely ,

Denni s J . D^VMi

y Chief , Esserjtia l Ai r Servic e