Stephen G. Nawrocki

President
Chris Nicoll Vice-President 

# PUEBL

OFFICE OF THE CITY COUNCIL i:dward Brown Sandy Daff Chris K. Kaufman Eva E.Montoya Ami Nawrocki



### October 15,2013

Mr. Kevin Schlemmer Chief, Essential Air Service & 

### DomesticAnalysis Division United States Department ofTransportation 1200 NewJerseyAve SE Washington, DC20590

Dear Mr. Schlemmer; 

# »

Since 1999, Pueblo Memorial Airport has enjoyed the benefits ofthe Essential Air Service Program with varying degrees ofsuccess,' primarilydueto inconvenient schedules, inconsistent reliability, and poor connectivity Beginning in2010, the Cityof Pueblo, State ofColorado, and USDoT (FAAAlP) committed to improving Pueblo MemorialAirport with the investment ofover$23m inairport airfield improvements. These Includeanew 50000 general aviation runway, airport NAVAID modernization, taxiway realignment and resurfacing, and ramp improvements. Inaddition, our capital improvement plan for2014 includes a$2m airline ramp rehabilitation andterminal renovation project. We feel these investments are in linewith our philosophy of continuous improvement inour products and services. Early this year, the City of Pueblo established anAirport Advisory Committee Team toassist City, County, and business leaders in reviewing the Essential Air Service proposals fromthe respective carriers and personally meetwith representatives ofGreat LakesAirlines and Skywest Airlines. The group evaluated each proposal based upon the criteria recommended by the Department ofTransportation aswell asthose items unique to success inthe Pueblo community.
An important component ofourstrategy is partnering with an Essential Air Service providerwho iscommitted to a premium customer service experience aswell as continuous improvement of our current service level andfu1uregrowth aspassenger traffic dictates. Ultimately, ourgoal is to growthe market tothe pointwe no longer needto rely upon the Essential Air Service Program. Currently, over 90% ofpassengers connect tothe dominant carrier at Denver International Airport, United Airlines. The benefits ofaseamless processing system which adedicated express carrier and reservation system provide are obvious, especially during irregular operations. In addition, several foreign owned corporations have recently located orexpanded manufacturing operations in Pueblo including Pewag (Austria), Vestas (Denmark), and Evraz (Russia). With these additionstothe local economy, connectivity to International Flights has become much more importanttothe travelling public. Although both proposers docodeshare, exclusively operating on theprimary hubbing canner(United Airlines) reservation system isa significant advantage.Given a large majority of our customers are connecting through Denver to distant destinations,

reliable connectivity becomes even more important. A review of airline system performance indicates a 68% on time average for Great lakes Airlines versus a 77% on time average for Skywest Airlines.
The Airport Advisory Committee marketing team feels they can effectively work with either proposer's marketing staffs. Both proposals are very similar with an offer of personnel assistance but limited or no additional funds. However, our experience recognizes the difficulty overcoming the confusion associated with booking flights through a code share partner rather than the mainline carrier. In fact, our website, Flypueblo.com, was modernized in an attempt to overcome this customer confusion. Although somewhat successful, we feel marketing the more. familiar mainline carrier name and product results in less passenger confusion and increased enplanements. lastly, aircraft type is an important factor in the success of the service. Many prospective passengers have communicated a genuine concern of the size of the aircraft proposed. Although not necessary for the number of boardings, the larger aircraft proposed by Skywest have been positively received in focus group presentations. Obviously, we hope to grow the market to'be able to utilize the full seating capacity of the aircraft. The opinion is the larger aircraft, with flight attendant and lavatory, will have a positive effect on the flying experience and passenger enplanements.
The Cay of Pueblo, Pueblo County, Pueblo Chamber of Commerce, and Pueblo Economic Development Corporation (PEDCO) have invested much time, effort, and local funds into attracting employers to our community as well as improving the infrastructure and amenities our citizens desire. Many of our citizens and corporate partners remind us of the importance of reliable, timely, and seamless air service. Although, slightly more costly, we feel the performance and product Skywest Airlines offers best fit our strategy for the present and future of the City of Pueblo.
Please do not hesitate to contact us ifyou have any questions.

Sincerely,

Nawrocki President, Cay Council

Ms. Christine McCarthy Pueblo West Metropolitan District Ms. Liane McFadyen Pueblo County Commissioner

Mr. Dave Cardinal Pueblo Airport Advisory Committee

Pueblo Chamber of Commerce

200 South MainStreet Pueblo, Colorado 81003 (719) 553-2655 FAX(719) 553-2698 www.pueblo.us