By Rob Stapleton
Alaska Journal of Commerce

Frontier Flying Service has pulled its flights from Dillingham and Togiak, blaming recent changes to the U.S. Postal Service bypass mail regulations for its withdrawal.

“The discontinuation of service between Anchorage and Dillingham and Togiak has been a difficult decision,” said Bob Hajdukovich, director of operations for Frontier Flying Service. “Frontier has made a lot of friends in Dillingham and Togiak, but recent changes to U.S. mail legislation, reduction in U.S. mail rates paid to Frontier, and additional service demands on the North Slope and west coast of Alaska have prompted this reallocation of company resources.”

While Frontier drops its flights to the Bristol Bay communities, it will increase flights to Northwest Alaska due to the changes in the mail system, according to Frontier's general manager Craig Kenmonth.

“We are reallocating our aircraft to the North Slope to add service there,” Kenmonth said.

Another carrier, Peninsula Airways Inc., says the changes to the bypass mail system have benefited them.

“We just received an increase from the U.S. Department of Transportation and are pleased with the new rates,” said Danny Seybert, president of Peninsula Airways.

Pen Air offers service to Dillingham and other points in western and southwest Alaska.

The DOT sets the rates for carriers allowed to haul bypass mail to rural communities. Bypass mail is a service that bypasses post offices and allows shipments from the seller directly to the receiver.

The change in Frontier's Service will start Jan. 9, when it will add additional flights to the communities of Nome and Kotzebue.

“This reallocation will enable us to better serve our primary communities,” Hajdukovich said.

Recent changes in the Rural Service Improvement Act call for additional volumes of mail to be tendered to carriers that can transport 10 or more passengers, called Part 121 carriers, such as Frontier.

Currently Pen Air and Frontier are the only Part 121 Bush carriers that can receive the extra volumes of mail. These additional volumes help offset the higher costs of operating the larger Part 121 aircraft, while still providing a savings to the postal service, according to Hajdukovich.

The changes by Frontier Flying Service will also affect flight times to and from Anchorage and Fairbanks, according to Kenmonth.

Rob Stapleton can be reached at rob.stapleton@alaskajournal.com.