Associated Press - November 20, 2009 8:54 AM ET

TUPELO, Miss. (AP) - Mesaba Airlines is asking for a federal subsidy to offer three daily flights from Tupelo Regional Airport.

Mesaba said in July it could no longer provide service in Tupelo and seven other cities across the country unless it received a federal subsidy through the Essential Air Service program.

That move set off a series of events, including the U.S. Department of Transportation requiring Mesaba to continue flying and to ask for bids from airlines wishing to provide service through a subsidy.

Mesaba is a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air Lines.

In one proposal in its bid, Mesaba wants $1.9 million to have two daily departures from Tupelo to Memphis and one departure to Atlanta. The company also proposed to offer fewer flights for a smaller subsidy.

Information from: Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, http://nems360.com/

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