Pendleton could change EAS carrier

By on Thursday, December 11th, 2025 in Columbia Basin News Columbia Basin Top Stories

PENDLETON – Boutique Airlines’ Essential Air Service (EAS) contract for flights between Pendleton and Portland with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is set to expire in 2026. The federal government asked for proposals to bid on the contract and four carriers responded.

They are (in alphabetical order) Advanced Air, Boutique Air, Contour Air, and SkyWest Charter. Eastern Oregon Regional Airport Manager Dan Bandel has formed a selection committee and tells Elkhorn Media Group (EMG) three of those companies have already made presentations to the committee, with the fourth making its pitch today (Thursday).

“We’ll meet next week to review the packages and our notes and determine our recommendation for the Pendleton City Council,” Bandel stated. “Comments are due to the DOT no later than the last weekend in December, I believe. The current EAS contract expires in 2026.”

Bandel said the committee is interested in not just the carrier’s operational capacity, but in how well it understands and supports the community. He provided EMG with some of the questions committee members are putting to the applicants:

  1. What is your proposed flight schedule and aircraft type?
    • Does it meet the community’s needs for connectivity, frequency, and timing?
    • Is the aircraft suitable for the airport’s infrastructure and weather conditions?
  2. How will you ensure reliability and minimize cancellations or delays?
    • What is your historical on-time performance?
    • What contingency plans do you have for weather or mechanical issues?
  3. What community engagement and marketing strategies will you implement?
    • How will you promote the service locally?
    • Will you collaborate with local businesses, tourism boards, or economic development groups?
  4. What are your interline or codeshare agreements with major carriers?
    • Can passengers easily connect to larger hubs?
    • Will tickets be bookable through major airline websites and travel portals?
  5. What is your experience operating EAS routes in similar rural environments?
    • Can you provide references or case studies?
    • How do you tailor operations to small communities with seasonal demand?

The committee includes a city department head, an assistant department member, a selected member of the airport staff, two local business owners, an economic development professional with close ties to the region, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, an airport commission member, a long-term Pendleton UAS Range client, and a university professor.

Essential Air Service is a federal program enacted to guarantee that small communities in the United States which had been served by certificated airlines prior to deregulation in 1978 maintain commercial air service. Pendleton is the only city in Oregon to be designated an EAS airport.

Photo provided by Dan Bandel of the SkyWest Charter jet that visited the airport on Wednesday, one of four EAS applicants. Bandel says the plane has seats for 30 passengers with first-class legroom for all.

Elkhorn Media Group