The world of essential air service is anything but simple but now Georgia-based Wings Air says EAS carrier Georgia Skies has not lived up to its EAS commitment on the Macon-Atlanta and Athens-Atlanta routes on which Wings competes without subsidy. Wings Air has filed a complaint with the Department of Transportation in which it said that, instead of providing service as promised, Georgia Skies is using the subsidy to build a “war chest” to drive its competitor out of the market. DOT responded that the EAS carrier is meeting its obligations and does not want to set a precedent when a the carrier which lost an EAS bid gets “a second bite of the apple by re-initiating competing service and complaining about the service we awarded.”
Wings charges that Georgia Skies is not providing seamless service because it does not connect at Atlanta Hartsfield but instead uses a general aviation facility on the field forcing passengers to be bussed to the main terminal where their baggage has to be rescreened. Related Story  Air Greco Inc, doing business as Wings Air, is in a fare war with Pacific Wings LLC, doing business as Georgia Skies, which is offering free flights before Christmas, Christmas Day and December 26. Wings, which recently offered $.99 fares, uses the main terminal at Hartsfield.