EAU CLAIRE, Wis. – The U.S. Transportation Department has been asked to approve six weekly flights from Eau Clare to Chicago. Utah-based regional carrier SkyWest would begin the flights in November. SkyWest would replace Sun Country, which had won notice for it $10 fares to Minneapolis. Those flights never attracted many passengers, and Sun Country later upped the fare to $49 and finally announced it was abandoning the Eau Caire market. The Chippewa Valley Regional Airport Commission already has voted 6-1 to support the change to SkyWest. Federal approval is necessary because the U.S. Essential Air Service program for small cities subsidizes the service.
