Two other bidders have joined SkyWest Airlines in seeking to be the Essential Air Service carrier at Dickinson County’s Ford Airport as the Federal Aviation Administration looks to issue a new EAS contract effective Feb. 1. (Daily News file photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — Dickinson County commissioners may make a recommendation today on who should provide commercial air service at Ford Airport in Kingsford.

The county board Wednesday scheduled a special meeting for 4:30 p.m. today in the correctional center conference room. An air service recommendation is the main agenda item.

The three proposals include one from SkyWest Airlines, which has served as the Essential Air Service carrier at Ford since 2012.

The others are from Denver Air Connection and Air Wisconsin. The Federal Aviation Administration plans to issue a new EAS contract effective Feb. 1.

The lowest bid is from Denver Air Connection — $4.52 million in the first year — and it adds O’Hare International Airport in Chicago as a potential hub. SkyWest now flies only to Detroit and Minneapolis, providing 13 round trips weekly.

In recent years, SkyWest has often provided seating for 65 to 76 passengers using CRJ-900 aircraft. All of the new offers list only 50-passenger aircraft at a cost that’s more than $2 million less annually than SkyWest’s current contract.

A summary of the three proposals:

— SkyWest: Thirteen round-trip flights per week for up to a four-year term to Minneapolis and/or Detroit on CRJ550 aircraft with seating for 50 passengers. Connections are through Delta Air Lines. The annual subsidy is $5.02 million in the first year, $5.17 million in the second, $5.32 million in the third and $5.48 million in the fourth. SkyWest will dedicate $25,000 annually to marketing its service.

— Denver Air Connection: Thirteen round-trip flights per week in 50-seat Embraer 145s for up to a four-year term. Service will be to Minneapolis, Detroit or Chicago, or a combination. Denver Air Connection has established interline agreements with United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines. The annual subsidy is $4.52 million in the first year, $4.74 million in the second, $4.98 million in the third and $5.23 million in the fourth. The airline commits at least $20,000 annually to local marketing.

— Air Wisconsin: Thirteen round-trip flights per week to Chicago for up to a three-year term on CRJ200 50-seat aircraft. Air Wisconsin has a codeshare partnership with American Airlines and commits a local marketing spend of at least $40,000 annually. The annual subsidy is $5.15 million in the first year, $5.51 million in the second and $5.78 million in the third.

Established by Congress in 1978, EAS is a federally funded program that ensures small, rural communities stay connected to the national air network. Local communities can make recommendations on their choice of a carrier, but the U.S. Department of Transportation has the final say.

For the past two years, Ford Airport has been part of a five-airport EAS order that includes Sault Ste. Marie; Rhinelander, Wis.; and Brainerd and International Falls, Minn. Ford Airport’s share this year is $7.56 million of the $34.6 million five-airport total.

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Jim Anderson can be reached at 906-774-2772, ext. 85226, or janderson@ironmountaindailynews.com.