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Show Kmml Decision .with ih sis weeks , . The Civil ' Aeronautic Board hearings involving the Hughes Airwest request to discontinue service to Cedar City and Page, Ariz., were held in Cedar City for, four consecutive days on March 16-19. A decision on the Airwest request will be released in about six weeks. Briefs from each party present at the court hearing will be submitted to Judge William Kane Jr., a CAB administrative law judge, from Washington D. C, which will aid in his decision. David L. Wildinsen, formerly with the Utah Attorney General's Office, Salt Lake City, represented Cedar City Corporation Cor-poration and the Utah Agencies, with assistance from Joseph Jackson, Cedar City Attorney. Charles Stoddard . defended Page, Ariz., and both parties received economic assistance from S. S. Koker, Washington D. C. James M. Burger, attorney, Washington D. C. appeared for the Arizona State Department of Transportation. Janis Charter, and David Johnson, economic assistant, were with the Bureau of Operating Rights, which is a federal division of the CAB. The Bureau of. Operating Rights-representatives, Rights-representatives, Charter and Johnson, provided technical expertise on airline, airport, air travel statistics, etc. Hughes Airwest attorneys were Richard Fitzgerald, and Ries. Terry Marshall was their economic specialist. Fitzgerald is also vice president of the Operating Regulations of Hughes Airwest. Fitzgerald stated that decreasing numbers of passengers boarding from Cedar City have gone from 8,620 in 1973 to 4,434 in 1974 and in 1975 they were down to 3,306. He also admitted that Airwest planned to sell planes in 1973 and have considered discontinuence since that date. Hughes application for .withdrawal was first submitted in the summer of 1975. Both Cedar City and Page, Ariz, counter that Hughes Airwest Air-west offers poorly timed flights and that boardings have decreased since 1973 because better schedules were offered in 1973. Jerry Atkin, Sky West Aviation President, St. George, stated that Sky West would probably expand their flight schedule from three round trip flights to four, if Airwest discontinued service in the area. Atkin appeared as a witness for the Bureau of Operating Rights. Sky West planes are equipped to carry nine passengers, and Cedar City and Page do not feel that the St. George company can adequately handle growing air service needs which are increasing in-creasing with the growth of new business, industry and tourism in Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. Garth Jones, Utah State t Representative for Kane and Iron Counties, and Executive Secretary of the Cedar City Chamber of Commerce explained ex-plained that a particular business wishing to base in Cedar City would not do so, if Air West was not available for freight service, and that Sky West was not adequate to provide such service. . Burton Nichols, Brian Head Ski Resort President testified that Sky West cannot adequately transport skiers with skis and luggage on their Navajo Chief Twin-engine aircrafts. J. Douglas Knell, general manager of the El Ray Motel, and president of the Motel Association, also supported the statement made by Nichols, concerning the ski air traffic'. Jim Breeze, former Cedar City Airport Manager, also testified for Cedar City's stand that Airwest is a much needed service for the Iron County area. Senator Frank E. Moss sent a letter to the court-hearing which stated that "Terminating Hughes Airwest to Cedar City and Page would not allow the public to take advantage of aviation service. It would deprive Jhem of critical service. Let's be honest about this. If Hughes Airwest had delivered the service it promised to deliver in its original application, it would not be in the position today of saying that the service which v it delivers is unprofitable and they should be allowed to suspend that service." Bureau of Operating Rights representative, Charter, pointed out that Airwest has suspended service to about 20 cities that were less productive tban Page or Cedar City. |