BECKLEY, W.Va. — Millions of dollars in federal subsidies hang in the balance as the process to choose a new commercial airline to serve Greenbrier Valley Airport draws to a close next month.
Six air service carriers submitted bids to the U.S. Department of Transportation by the May 20 deadline, seeking the opportunity to connect the Greenbrier Valley to such hubs as Charlotte, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore and Washington, D.C.
As far as Greenbrier Valley manager Stephen Snyder is concerned, one of those airlines — Silver Airways, the airport’s current commercial carrier — is already out of the running.
In an email dated May 23, Snyder wrote, “The proposal by Silver Airways has already been rejected.” In support of the decision to reject Silver’s bid, Snyder pointed to past problems…