The U.S. Department of Transportation has selected SkyWest Airlines to provide subsidized Essential Air Service (EAS) to the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport.
The identity of the airline that would provide permanent air service to Brainerd had been in question since Delta Airlines informed airport officials in July of 2011 that it intended to eventually end its service to Brainerd. Delta had been and is continuing to serve Brainerd until a permanent air carrier is ready to take over.
Now SkyWest will serve Brainerd for a two-year period beginning when the carrier initiates full EAS service to Brainerd and three other communities.
Interim Airport Manager Rick Adair said he talked briefly with officials at the Utah-based SkyWest Tuesday and no tentative start date had been set.
The exact same type of aircraft that currently serves Brainerd air passengers, 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet 200 (CRJ200) aircraft, will be used by SkyWest, he said.
Adair, who said he was pleased with the selection, added ticketing would continue to be done through Delta.
“This is what I’ve been striving for,” he said.
According to the DOT order, Brainerd would receive a minimum of 12 nonstop round trips per week. The order also selected SkyWest to provide Essential
Air Service at Iron Mountain/Kingsford, Mich., International Falls and Rhinelander, Wis. The service at each of the four communities includes flights with 50-passenger CRJ200 aircraft to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) for a two-year period beginning when the carrier initiates full EAS at all four communities.
The DOT had initially selected Great Lakes Aviation to provide air service but in June Great Lakes encouraged the Department of Transportation to re-solicit proposals. Great Lakes, according to the DOT order, said that it had recently experienced aggressive expansion and was in the process of re-engineering its business model (including its approach code-sharing and the associated reservation system infrastructure) and had concerns regarding the availability of gates and facilities to expand further at MSP.
The annual subsidy rate for Brainerd will $1,356,764, according to the DOT order.
MIKE O’ROURKE, associate editor, may be reached at 855-5860 or mike.orourke@brainerddispatch.com. He may be followed at www.twitter.com/MikeORourkenews.
Comments (12)
Add commentGetting a Real Airline @ BRD with Real Planes is a good thing
Im certain Delta is Happy as well now that their monopoly at MSP will remain intact.
Direct BRD flights to Chicago ( Bigger Hub) would or could someday lead to better access to longer haul carriers with more direct flights and more competitive air fares.
Looked at short notice trip to Austin TX last week.
For only $ 1,800 RT , you had 2 Delta choices.
From BRD it was possible to get there and back in under 9 hours total flying time (both ways total)= LV here 4 PM , LV Austin 6 AM .
Or the most frequently occuring flights X MSP , most thru ATL got to down to Austin and back to MSP in about 16 total hours RT. Same ticket price, and tack on 6 hour commute & parking or shuttle cost.
THANKS!
I for one am certainly glad we will continue to have air service out of Brainerd. Living an hour north of Brainerd makes this a great alternative to having to drive to Minneapolis. Besides the free parking at Brainerd is a great incentive. It saves all the way around. Thank you so much!
Subsidized? They couldn't find one that didn't need government
help? And we wonder why our country can never get out of debt!!
Subsidy
so you want the amount per ticket with $1,356,764 being the yearly subsidy? well here is the formula ((($1,356,764/52)/12)/50)=$47.10986111111111 per ticket
52 weeks in the year
12 flights a week
50 seats per plane
Oh no $47.11 cents a ticket. that number doesn't look so big to me, how about you?
So therefore since they are ROUND TRIP flights ( 24 wk minimum)
Lets hope all those freebie NWA & Delta pass riders are not impacted by any additional costs.
Lakes Express shuttle wont see any change in volume unless flights are bumped up to 4 day .. M-F
Best air deal out of Brainerd remains infrequent Sun Country flights direct to Laughlin NV, includes room at the Riverside for 3 or 4 days.
subsidy
Thank you for pointing out my $4 error I originally did the math with divide by 12 months then 4 weeks each month, then I realized that wouldn't work. But remember that in the summer months and closer to the holidays they usually add 1-2 flights a day (atleast during the time I worked at the airport)
Captron? Monopoly?
Dominance would be a correct word about Delta at MSP but not a monopoly. You sound like you think you know more about airlines than you actually do. Examples include the "real planes" comment and previous post you have made on this topic that are off mark. And your "monopoly" comment now proves you don't know the meaning of the word. Service at MSP is provided by American Airlines, United Airlines, US Air, Sun Country, Spirit, Southwest, Iceland Air as well as Delta. Not a "monopoly" now is it? Now that crack at Delta "freebie pass riders"? What's your problem with employees using a benefit provided by their employer? Doesn't cost you anything.
Tork ,the rental car person . Or former NWA Mech. Pay Attention
Real Planes = Ability to use jetways ,have bathrooms , 50 passenger capacity , Newer aircraft, larger carrier with additional back up aircraft. vs
Great Lakes Aviation with a limited number of very small old reburbished prop planes. Duh !!
Monopoly = If you had flown 1.5 million miles you would know ,you will be unable to buy a code sharing ticket on a flight departing BRD using any carrier out of MSP except Delta. A ticket beyond MSP on any of your extensive list of carriers that occupy 10 % of the gates from Terminal One will not happen , Delta would not ever let that happen. If one was foolish enough to book a RT BRD -MSP ticket and then purchase a seperate ticket beyond MSP ( from your list) your total ticket price would increase by about $ 300.
RE : Pass Riders , only 3 seperate occassions ( all out of LAX or Ontario) , Ive had my wife bumped to a different seat on an aircraft ,( not next to me after having a seat assignment weeks in advance) only to be replaced a pass rider ending up in her orginal seat !
Guess you had to be there to understand how ridiculous that is.
Im my book paying customers come first ( they pay the bills) , pass riders may certainly fill empty seats, when space allows !