& 

U.S. Dopartment 

ol Transportation 

Officd o( the Secretary 

of Transportation 

Auittan i Stcrttary 

APR 1 4 2011 

1200 New Jtn»y Avenua. SE 

Washingion. OC 20590 

Otfr-osT-v°\'^^-c.s-^^ 

The Honorable Luis A. Berdiel Rivera 

Senador Distrito de Ponce 

El Capitolio 

PO Box 9023431 

San Juan, PR 00902-3431 

Dear Senator Berdiel: 

Thank you for your February 28 letter regarding assistance to the Mercedita Airport under the 

Essential Air Service (EAS) program. As you probably know. Ponce has formally appealed the 

U.S. Department of Transportation's decision to rely on JetBlue's subsidy-free service to the 

mainland and not to renew Cape Air*s EAS contract. We are currently evaluating the merits of 

the community's appeal. As is normal practice, we are placing a copy of your letter and this 

response in the Docket, which is available for public viewing at www.rcuulations.^ov by 

entering DOT-OST-1999-6592 in the search field. 

If I can provide further information or assistance, please feel free to call me. 

Sincerely yours. 

Susan L. K.urland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
SIO-I !04()S-()03 

LUIS A. BERDIEL RIVERA '^^TffS?^???* 

Senador Dbtrito de Porx:e 

Preiidento Comhkin de Agriculturo 

February 28, 2011 

Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

United States Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Mr. La Hood: 

The main purpose of the Essential Air Service Program (EAS) is to ensure that 

smaller communities would retain a link to the national air transportation system 

I through a system of federal subsidy. With this program, the Department of 

§ Transportation determines the minimum level of service required at each eligible 

? community by specifying a hub through which the community is linked to the 

I national network, a minimum number of round trips and available seats that must 

I be provided to that hub, certain characteristics of the aircraft to be used, and the 

n I maximum permissible number of intennedlate stops to the hub. 

k ^ 

§ ;T Our Mercedita Airport, located in teh city of Ponce offers services to residents of, 

^ ^ the South and East regions of Puerto Rico, under the Essential Air Sen^ice 

21" Program. Also, Mercedita Airport sondes as an ad hoc airport for our most 

I r iniportant airport hub in the Island, Luis Muiioz Marin Airport, located more than 

c Z 20 miles away of Ponce, in the North region. 

Is 

g p; Last Decerftber.'iVlr. Todd M. Homan, Director of the Aviation Analysis Office 

'Z K- presents his proposal for the EAS program, in which excludes Mercedita Airport 

I § to receive the benefits of the EAS program. Mr. Homan argues that Mercedita 

13' Airport receives subsidy-free Jet service on daily basis to Cape Air and Jet Blue 

I ^ flights. But, both airlines, Cape Air and Jet Blue have no writen contract in the 

o ^ Mercedita Airport that could cause that they decided to finished their operations if 

^ I they loose the EAS program benefits. 

ai;r 
SIO-I |04()S-()03 

The loss of EAS program funds could have a detrimental negative tmapct in our 

economy, that right know suffer difficult moments. For this reason, we encoraged 

to you to reconsider Mr. Homan point of view and include Mercedita Airport in the 

EAS program fund recipients. 

With your help and assitance, we can provide to the South and East residents of 

Puerto Rico with an alternate hub to fulfill their transportation needs. 

Please consider your decision, the resident of moe than a half of Puerto Rico 

residents will be grateful to you and your assistance in this issue. 

Cordially. 

Ion. Luj<%rd(el Rivera 

Ponce District 

Senator 

c. Men. Maria "Mayita' Mel6ndez Altieri,