Imperial County board recommends SkyWest Charter, 14 weekly flights to LAX, as EAS community preference

The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted on Feb. 17 to recommend SkyWest Charter, with a commitment to 14 weekly round trips to Los Angeles, as the county’s community-preference recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation in the Essential Air Service (EAS) carrier selection.

Staff presentation: Deputy County Executive Officer Gil Rebel and acting Airport Manager Marlene Lopez told the board they received six proposals that vary by aircraft size, frequency and estimated annual DOT subsidy. Staff emphasized that the board’s action is advisory; DOT makes the final award and the county has the option to request an extension to the Feb. 25 submission deadline (staff said DOT indicated willingness to extend to March 17).

Proposals and trade-offs: Bids ranged from nine-seat turboprops with high frequency to 50-seat regional jets with fewer weekly round trips. Rebel summarized capacity and subsidy examples presented in proposals (annual seat capacities cited in staff materials ranged from about 19,968 to 60,550 seats; a SkyWest Airlines scenario cited an estimated year-1 subsidy near $5.61 million). Carriers described different trade-offs: smaller aircraft can offer more daily frequency with fewer seats per flight; larger regional jets provide more seats per departure but may require different airfield protections and rescue/firefighting considerations.

Carrier statements: Representatives of Advanced Air, Boutique Air, Contour Airlines and SkyWest appeared or called in. Levi Stockton, Advanced Air’s CEO, said Advanced Air would provide twin-engine turboprop service, commit to maintenance on-site and purchase fuel locally. Katie Iguardo of Boutique Air told the board Boutique projects roughly $1,000,000 in annual fueling spend and would base local technicians for maintenance if selected. Cody Thomas for SkyWest emphasized SkyWest’s greater seat capacity and code-share connectivity with United at LAX and said SkyWest would be willing to adjust frequency (SkyWest agreed to a 14-weekly-round-trip commitment if that was the board’s preference).

Board questions and clarifications: Supervisors pressed staff and carriers on runway compatibility for 30- and 50-seat aircraft, potential costs to the county for larger-aircraft firefighting capability, the nature of carrier fuel commitments and whether those commitments were in writing, and how DOT subsidy levels affect the county decision (staff clarified DOT subsidy is federal money paid to carriers and not a county payment). Staff said Boutique provided written correspondence indicating an intent to purchase at least 85% of EAS and training fuel locally; SkyWest indicated a willingness to sign fuel agreements and stage local maintenance staff.

Motion and vote: After discussion, a supervisor moved to recommend SkyWest Charter (30-seat CRJ configuration) with 14 weekly round trips to LAX; a second was announced and the chair declared the motion passed. Staff will transmit the recommendation to DOT or request an extension; the board directed staff to share the presentation and recommendation with the seven cities and the Imperial County Transportation Commission (ICTC) for additional input.

What this means: The board’s recommendation is advisory and does not guarantee DOT will select SkyWest. DOT will evaluate proposals and subsidies and announce the final award. If DOT selects a carrier other than the county’s preference, county staff said they would work with the selected carrier on fueling and maintenance arrangements.