### U.S. Department of Transportation Office 

### of the Secretary ofTransportation .·»-':'

.... •



## The Honorable Trudi \Valcnd N.C. House ofRepresentatives Ralei-gh, NC 27603-5925. DearMs. Walcnd: Assistant Secretary ·- ·_, 

### July 3, 2012· 1200_Ncw Jersey A·

..cnue. SE Washinaton, DC 20590



## Thank 

## you for your letter addressed to Secretary LaHood supporting the proposal sub111itted by the Asheville Regional Airport for.a grant under the U.S. Department ofTransportation's Small Community AirService Development Program. 'fhc 

## Secretary has requested that I 

## respond on his behalf. The Small Community Air Service Development Program was established to help smaller communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares or insufficit.:nt service. Under the statute, the Department may make a

## maximum of40 

## grant awards each year, although no more than 4 

## awards may be to communities in the same State. In order to provide communities with latitudl! in dt.:\·cloping solutions to their air service deficiencies, the statute provides tlexibili\Y in the types ofprojects that can be funded. On May 15, the Department issued an orderrequesting that communities inwrested in receiving a grant this year file their applications by .June II. As 

## these grant requests arc pending before the Department, I

## cannot comment on the merits 

## ofany 

## particular proposal. I

## assure you that the Department will give full and fair consideration to <.111 

## pn,posals that havl! been properly filed.· As 

## is ournormal practice, I

## am placing a 

## copy oryour letter and 

## this response in Docket DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a

## contact outside the record ofthis matter. I 

## appreciate your 

## interest in this program. S

## incercly yours,

Susan L. 

## Kurlnnd Assistant Secretary for i\

## viation and 

## lntt:rnational Affairs

# .. .Jftorth ([arohna 

# ®rnt'rat gs5tm1Jlp rf)onS'r of**l\rprrS'rntdtiur~** REPRESENTATIVE TlWDl WALEND I 13th District: Poll<, Transylvania, S. Henderson Office: 503 Legislative Office Building 300 N Salisbury Street 'Raleigh, NC 276d3·5925 Phone: (919) 715·4466 FAX: (919) 754-3288 Email rrucli**ll'lllcmhn1~1N\.rH"t** District: 147 Ridgewood PL Brevard, NC 28712-9561 Home: (828) 883-3790 Email: t\\'Hlr•n<J!(i·citcom.nel 

### June 

### 5,**2012~** The Honorable Ray LaHood, Secretary U.S. DepartmentofTransportation 400 7111 Street, SW Roon1 10200 Washington. D.C. 20590 Dear Sccretat:y LaHood: Agriculture Appropriations
.. . ."
. _ ..•. · Appropri<Hions Subcommittee on Jus'tkr and rublir SafetY
· Govr:-rnmcnt ·

Judiciary Judidan Subcomrniltl'c B State**P~rsonncl**



### Istrongly support the Asheville Regional Airport's Small Community Air Service Development 

### Grant. wJ1ich 

### wiJI allo\v for new and improved service in the \\estern region ofour state. This region is gn1\\ ing. and enhanced airservice is imperative to the economic vitality 

### ofthe area. Quality air service aids 

### our economy through improved access for visitors. tourism and is important to business growth and retention. The westernregion has a noted connection to the Denver market- both from a leisure and business travel**pe1;spe~ti..¥e.** We k.now that 5% ofinbound travelers come from Colorado. and many more-from the west. Also, significant business development is occurring

### by Coloi·ado and \'vestern state-based businesses i11 the Western No1th Carolina region. Enhanced air service to and ti·om Denver and western states is a positive Jit for the direction ofgrowth this region is experiencing. However, \\oe have experienced the loss oflow-cost aircarrierAirTran in the pastyear. and as a result have seen airfares begin to rise to levels much greatei·than ourcompetitorsareexperiencing. The Asheville Regional Airporthas puttogether a two-fold planto mitigate the rising airHu·es they arc experiencingdue io the loss ofAirTran Aim.ays thisyear. Spt!cifically, the plan focuses first on attracting another**low~cost** airservice provider to servethe Denver market and potentially additional markets lost vvhen AirTran was acquired 

### by Soutlmcst. Second. the plan ensures that sunicicnt marketing will occurto support the new low-fare carrier's success in the WNC market. and includes a focus on strengthening the newly formed travel advisory group- a consortium ofbusiness lenders. economic developers and tourism representatives who meet quarterly to discuss air service needs, advocacy andutilization. Please accept my support ofthe Ashevill.e Regional Airpori'sgrant request. Sincerely.