ALPENA — The U.S. Department of Transportation has received a pair of bids from airline service companies vying to provide service at the Alpena County Regional Airport for the next two years.

One is from SkyWest Airlines, the current airline at the airport. The second is from Boutique Air.

SkyWest’s proposal says it would provide a 50-seat jet and 12 flights to and from Detroit weekly. The daily connection stop in Pellston would go by the wayside.

Boutique Air says it would provide 24 trips to Detroit Metropolitan Airport but would only use a small plane that can carry up to nine passengers.

Neither company offered a flight to Minneapolis, though airport officials had hoped that trip could be offered in light of booming traffic in and out of Alpena.

Boutique Air is seeking $3.3 million in the first year and $3.4 in the second. SkyWest, an affiliate of Delta Airlines, is asking for $3.8 million yearly, an increase from the $2.4 million it gets now.

Now, Alpena County, Alpena, and other partners will review the bids and submit a letter to the feds expressing their choice, Airport Manager Steve Smigelski said Friday. The federal government will make its decision in the coming weeks.

“We are pleased SkyWest wants to continue to partner with us and has been very good to us,” Smigelski said. “It is also gratifying to see a second company submitted a bid, as well.”

Since SkyWest began service in Alpena, the airline has helped lower rates and tweaked flight options several times, which Smigelski said has led to an increase in people utilizing the airport.

Alpena Mayor Matt Waligora said it is important to have safe and dependable flights locally.

“I would definitely say that our consistent, increased enplanements in recent years is a clear indication that quality air service is a necessity for our region,” Waligora said. “Every facet of our regional economy depends, to some extent, on people’s ability to travel by air. In short, I’d say it is vitally important.”

Smigelski said he was somewhat surprised SkyWest didn’t offer a flight to Minneapolis. With all of the uncertainty now because of the global coronavirus pandemic that has brought air travel to a near-standstill, he understands.

Smigelski said the community has two weeks to submit its preference to USDOT. He hopes the feds make a determination in early June.

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.