SkyWest and the Air Line Pilots Association have been engaging in a war of words in regulatory filings over the application of Skywest Charter to operate under commuter rules to provide essential air service to Scottsbluff and several other small communities.
In a July 20 reply to ALPA’s objection to the application, Skywest says the union’s answer was replete with misstatements, noting the commuter rule was amended to permit the exact type of service SWC is proposing, including scheduled operations.
Eight days later, ALPA filed a surreply, saying SkyWest’s planned shift to commuter-level service was not driven by financial losses or any shortage of fully-qualified first officers, and would undermine safety-critical First Officer Qualification Rules.
On Aug. 1, SkyWest filed their surreply, saying the union’s latest filing raised no new issues that had not already been addressed by SkyWest officials, and it asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to expedite the processing of their application for authority to implement the proposed service in support of small and underserved communities.
Aside from letters by Denver International Airport and the Regional Airlines Association in support of the SkyWest application, the filings by SkyWest and ALPA have been the only comments received to date according to the docket on Regulation.gov. It’s not known when the DOT will make their determination on the application.
