Pierre Seeking New Bids for Airline to Serve Capital City

PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — The city of Pierre is seeking bids from airlines interested in serving South Dakota's capital city under the Essential Air Service federal subsidy program.

Great Lakes Airlines currently provides service from Pierre to Denver and Minneapolis, but city officials have been unsatisfied with the service and began looking for a new carrier in 2014. They ended up recommending Aerodynamics Inc. but have since soured on that carrier due to concerns over finances and managerial competence.

The city last month asked federal regulators for permission to reopen the bidding process.

The Capital Journal reports that the deadline for new bids is March 31. City Commissioner Steve Harding says officials then will take 30 days to decide on a new recommendation to the federal Transportation Department.

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