The United States Department of Transportation Monday afternoon issued the order selecting Portland, Ore.,-based Seaport Airlines to provide commercial air service to the Great Bend Municipal Airport, Airport Manager Martin Miller said.
The Essential Air Service contract is for a two-year period and under the deal, Seaport will provide 18 round-trip flights per week. Schedules will be coordinated between the city and the airline, with two daily flights to Wichita and one daily trip to Kansas City on weekdays. Three flights are also planned on the weekend, but the schedules have yet to be determined.
Miller met with Seaport Chief Executive Officer Rob McKinney Monday at the Salina Regional Airport, where the company has been operating for 10 years. He has also been in contact with Wichita’s Mid-Continent Airport which will provide a “sterile” gate, one screened by the Transportation Safety Administration.
According to Seaport’s bid, an introductory fare of $39 one-way, including taxes and fees, will be offered for the first 30 days on every seat and every flight.
“Seaport is now preparing to establish its operation here,” Miller said. But, “due to the late decision by DOT, it’s not clear when the first scheduled flights can commence.”
Miller noted that DOT awarded SkyWest service from Hays to Denver in a 50-seat aircraft in the same order. “This allows residents of the entire region the option of flying east from Great Bend or west from Hays.
The DOT administers the EAS program and presented Great Bend with a choice of two providers – Seaport and the current provider Great Lakes Aviation. Although the DOT had the final say, it asked for local input and the city recommended Seaport.
It was last week that Great Lakes announced it was terminating its contract one month early, leaving in question when commercial air service in Great Bend would be available.
According to the DOT, the Airline Deregulation Act, passed in 1978, gave airlines almost total freedom to determine which markets to serve domestically and what fares to charge for that service. The EAS program was put into place to guarantee that small communities that were served by certificated air carriers.
This is done by subsidizing two to four round trips a day to a major hub airport. The department currently subsidizes commuter airlines to serve approximately 163 rural communities across the country that otherwise would not receive any scheduled air service.
For more information, contact Miller at 620-793-4168.