United Airlines ended flights to Chicago (ORD) in October 1979; subsequent service to Chicago ended in 2002. United had operated Boeing 737-200 jet service into the airport during the mid 1970s. Another airline that operated jet service into Muskegon during this same time was North Central Airlines with McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30 twinjets. Muskegon County Airport was the recipient of both the 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 "Balchen/Post Awards" for outstanding achievement in snow and ice control in the small commercial service airport category. Midwest Connect discontinued service to Milwaukee (MKE), effective September 2008. Also in September, the airport was awarded a $650,000 federal "Small Community Air Service" grant to restore non-stop flights to Chicago-O'Hare International Airport. On July 15, 2009, Mesaba Airlines petitioned the DOT for Essential Air Service subsidies to continue operating into Muskegon and seven other communities. Per DOT procedure, these cities were opened for bids by all interested carriers. For Muskegon, SkyWest Airlines submitted a bid to provide service to Chicago which required less than half the annual subsidy Mesaba wanted to continue service to Detroit. SkyWest was selected in November 2009, and began service on February 12, 2010, replacing Mesaba. SkyWest initially operated under a two-year contract for the service but continues to currently provide