U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Claire McCaskill 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator McCaskill: 

'· . '; ,.·,_ _: ·.t 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter supporting the application submitted by the Springfield-Branson 

National Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community 

Air Service Development Program. 

The Small Community Air Service Development Program was established to help smaller 

communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares or 

insufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than four awards may be to communities in the same State. 

In order to provide communities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service 

deficiencies, the statute provides flexibility in the types of projects that can be funded. 

On June 24, the Department issued an order setting a deadline of July 26 for applications. As 

these grant requests are pending before the Department, I cannot comment on the merits of any 

particular proposal. I assure you that the Department will give full and fair consideration to all 

proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2013-0120 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

apman 

Associate Director 

Small Community Air Service Development 
CLAIRE McCASKILL 

MISSOURI 

COMMITTEES: 

ARMED SERVICES 

COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND 

TRANSPORTATION 

SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON AGING 

HOMELAND SECURITY 

AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS 

AD HOC SUBCOMMITTEE 

ON CONTRACTING OVERSIGHT 

Ms. Brooke Chapman 

Associate Director 

tlnitcd ~tatcs ~cnatc WASHINGTON, DC 20510 

July 11, 2013 

US Department of Transportation, Office of Aviation Analysis 

1200 New Jersey Ave NE 

Washington, DC 20590-0001 

Dear Ms. Chapman, 

IN REPLY PLEASE REFER TO 

OFFICE INDICATED: 

555 INDEPENDENCE 

ROOM 1600 

0 GAPE GIRARDEAU, MO 63703 

(573) 651-0964 

FAX: (573) 334--4278 

915 EAST ASH STREET 

COLUMBIA, MO 65201 

(573) 442-7130 

FAX: (573) 442-7140 

4141 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE 

SUITE 101 

0 KANSAS CITY, MO 64111 

(816) 421-1639 

FAx: (816) 421-2562 

0 

5850 DELMAR BOULEVARD 

SUITE A 

ST. LOUIS, MO 63112 

(314) 367-1364 

FAX: (314) 361-8649 

324 PARK CENTRAL WEST 

SUITE 101 

0 SPRINGFIELD, MO 65806 

(417) 868-8745 

FAX: (417) 831-1349 

http://mccaskill.senate.gov 

I am writing today in support of Springfield-Branson (SGF) National Airport's application for a 

Small Community Air Service Development Program grant, CFDA program number 20.930. 

SGF airport has found that the residents of Southwest Missouri have deficient flight access to the 

Southeastern United States. Flights from SGF to Atlanta already operate with near 90 percent 

load factors. The approval of this grant would allow the airport to either add capacity to Atlanta or 

to attract flights to US Airways's Charlotte hub, giving area residents more flight options. 

The approval of this grant would allow a fast-growing region to increase its access to the national 

air system after it has lost 30 percent of its available seats since 2008, including service to several 

major hub airports. This grant would increase economic development in the region and 

accordingly the application has the support of many prominent members of the local business 

community. 

Thank you in advance for your full and fair consideration of this application. Please keep me 

apprised of the progress of their application. 

Sincerely, 

Claire McCaskill 

United States Senator