Common sense is a trait that you dont normally associate with airlines, yet they have just enough to tigure out they shouldn't be burning $167-a-barrel jet fuel to fly empty planes to nowhere. In mid-June Northwest Airlines subsidiary Mesaba Aviation gave notice it would terminate twice-daily service between its Minneapolis-St. Paul hub and Iron Mountain, Mich. (pop. 8,154). Even with a $1.1 million annual subsidy from the feds to fly the route, it can't make a profit.rnA prudent move, except that it can't stop flying without a nod from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is under orders from Congress to keep carriers serving 106 low-density markets. For Mesaba to get out of its two-year contract, it must give DOT 90 days' notice and hope another airline comes along to take over the route (or it can apply for a bigger subsidy). Otherwise the bureaucrats can keep Mesaba flying indefinitely under its locked subsidy.
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