Three carriers to visit Moab terminal as EAS RFP proceeds; board urged to meet airlines
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Summary
The EAS RFP (issued Jan. 30) triggered scheduled airline visits Feb. 17–19 (SkyWest, Contour, Denver Air Connection). Staff and a hired consultant are guiding negotiations; the board was encouraged to meet carrier representatives and tour aircraft.
County and airport staff told the board the FAA’s Essential Air Service (EAS) request for proposals was issued Jan. 30 and that an economic study by Luke Schmidt & Associates will inform negotiations with interested carriers. Staff reported three airlines with current interest and invited board members to three demonstration visits at the terminal: SkyWest on Feb. 17 at 12:30 p.m. (CRJ‑550 to Salt Lake), Contour on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m., and Denver Air Connection on Feb. 19 (anticipated 9:30 a.m.).
Why it matters: the EAS procurement will determine which carriers (and aircraft types) serve the airport under federal subsidy; staff said the RFP process includes a 30‑day advertisement and a 30‑day comment period. The current EAS contract runs through Sept. 30, and a new award or transition could take effect later in the year.
At the meeting, Rachel Paxman (member at large, vice chair) sought to correct circulating misinformation about Contour: “Contour Airlines is interlined with United, American, Alaskan, and JetBlue. That means you can book on any of those platforms and fly directly from Moab,” she said, and staff agreed to have airline representatives clarify codeshare/interline arrangements during the visits. Board members and staff discussed marketing timing and urged early coordination so that any transition can be promoted before the busy fall season.
Next steps: staff will circulate confirmed times, send Google calendar invites, and bring the consultant and additional details to the next board meeting. Board members were asked to prepare questions for the airline CEOs.
