After making a recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation to select its new air service provider last month, Columbia got just what it wanted.

The federal agency has released contracts for subsidized "essential air service," or EAS, to serve eight Midwest cities, and Columbia received its first choice for service: three flights a day to Memphis International Airport through Northwest Airline subsidiary Mesaba Airlines.

After a few weeks mulling three airlines' proposals to replace Columbia Regional Airport's current EAS provider, Air Midwest, the Columbia City Council backed a recommendation from city staff to support Mesaba's two options for service to Memphis.

The other companies that bid on the EAS contract, Great Lakes Airlines and Hawaii Island Air, would have continued service to Kansas City. City staff said Hawaii Island Air didn't provide early enough flights to make connections, and they questioned Great Lakes Airlines' ability to get enough planes to start service. The city's Airport Advisory Board gave a split 4-4 recommendation between Mesaba and Great Lakes.

Air Midwest, a subsidiary of Mesa Air Group, currently operates 24 flights a week to Kansas City but is terminating service for financial reasons. The airline said the route wasn't profitable, even with a $598,751 annual subsidy.

Mesaba's annual subsidy will be $2,186,590 through the EAS program, designed to guarantee airline service to smaller communities. The airline will provide 20 flights a week from Columbia to Memphis using 34-seat aircraft. Mesaba proposes an average one-way fare of $95.