Italy's Aeropa voluntarily suspends AOC

SkyWest takes over Mason City/Fort Dodge EAS routes

SkyWest Airlines (OO, Salt Lake City) branded as United Express, replaces Air Choice One (3E, St. Louis Lambert Int'l) as the Essential Air Service (EAS) provider at Fort Dodge and Mason City, Iowa, from March 1, 2021, for a three-year term until February 29, 2024, bringing back a regional jet service and connectivity to Chicago O'Hare.

According to a regulatory notice by the US Department of Transportation, SkyWest Airlines will use 50-seater CRJ200s to provide 12x weekly round trips each to Chicago O’Hare from Fort Dodge and Mason City at a combined annual subsidy of more than USD6 million (USD3,071,656 and USD3,006,057 respectively). The airline will be required to provide at least two daily round trips six days a week to an eligible place that is not in Alaska.

The DOT said both communities had supported SkyWest's proposals, which already had a solid reputation serving more than 40 EAS communities. Also, SkyWest’s codeshare with United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) would provide Fort Dodge and Mason City with...

Mokulele Airlines takes over EAS service from Hawaiian

Mokulele Airlines (MHO, Kona) on January 13 takes over from Ohana by Hawaiian in operating the Essential Air Service (EAS) to the Hawaiian islands of Lanai and Molokai, according to a regulatory notice by the US Department of Transportation.

The move will suspend all operations by the Hawaiian Airlines (HA, Honolulu) subsidiary, whose flights to the two islands were operated by third-party carrier, Empire Airlines (EM, Coeur d'Alene).

This follows a regulatory notice published by the DoT on December 29 in which it confirmed it had granted a request filed by Hawaiian Airlines for an exemption from a 90-day advance filing requirement to suspend its EAS service to Lanai and Molokai.

From January 13, the Department said it would rely on Mokulele to provide unsubsidised EAS to the two islands. Basic EAS requirements would oblige Mokulele to provide a minimum of 12x weekly, scheduled round trips, using twin-engine aircraft.

Hawaiian Airlines had originally applied to suspend the services by November 1 due to plummeting travel demand to the islands caused...

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