"I think some good has come out of all this stress," said Grand County Council member Audrey Graham as she and all the other council members voted to recommend that U.S. Department of Transportation accept the proposal from Salmon Air to serve Moab with seven-passenger planes connecting to Salt Lake City.     At the same time, the council also voted not to comply with the Federal Aviation Administration Part 139 certification regulations that require certain safety and other measures, including onsite firefighting capability at the airport. The airport is currently required to meet the FAA certification guidelines because Air Midwest, which will continue to provide passenger service until the new EAS contract is awarded, uses larger, 19-passenger planes.

    Since early this year, the council has struggled to deal with not only the cost of expensive fire and rescue services required for subsidized service by larger aircraft, but also with the unreliable service the county has had to endure for the past several years.

    Council member Bob Greenberg, who represents the council on the airport board, explained that the airport board recommended the council not endorse any of three applicants for the essential air service (EAS) subsidy. He also recalled that one of the two members who were not present for that vote preferred to keep Mesa Air, which has been criticized for poor service.

    But, Greenberg said, Salmon Air is the only applicant for the essential air service subsidy that has shown any interest in Moab. Salmon's owners/managers Tom and Bob Wilkins have not only returned phone calls, they made a presentation to the county council last month.

    The Wilkins brothers, along with Greenberg, also made presentations at a meeting with Moab city, focusing on Salmon's proven reliability and responsiveness to local needs.

    "They tell us that within two successful years they can move to pressurized aircraft, and within six years their service can be self-sustaining," said Greenberg.

    When one small plane is full for any scheduled flight, Salmon Air can simply add more planes from its fleet based in Salt Lake City, which the Wilkins promised they would do, Greenberg said.

    "I think the city council is pretty strongly inclined to support Salmon Air if that were the direction that this council would be going," Greenberg said. The city, he added, prefers service to Salt Lake City rather than Denver, as proposed by Great Lakes, or to Phoenix with Mesa Air.

    Greenberg also reported on an "annual airport certification inspection" by the Federal Aviation Administration. The inspection is required to ensure that the airport is in compliance with regulations imposed on airports where commuter service involves planes carrying more than 9 passengers.

    A minor failure to comply with requirements to maintain the airport certification manual was found. But more importantly, according to Greenberg, the inspector reported "there is a need for a full-time on-site airport management presence. Day-to-day operation of the airport requires additional qualified individuals be available."

    If the county's subsidized service continued with Mesa Air's 19-passenger planes, the county not only would have to hire an airport manager, it would have to hire at least one assistant, Greenberg said. Both would have to be certified firefighters.

    The DOT usually makes its selection within two or three weeks after the close of the public comment period, which is Sept. 6. Because Grand County Council voted on Tuesday not to comply with the regulations that come with larger aircraft, Salmon Air's bid is the only one qualified for service to Canyonlands Field, Tom Wilkins said.