U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Amy Klobuchar 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Klobuchar: 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, cosigned by your congressional colleagues, supporting the application 

submitted by the Duluth Airport Authority 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 of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

r e ,._; ~t.api'l\abR'-,.. 

Associ te Director 

Small Comm ity Air Service 
U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Al Franken 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Franken: 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, cosigned by your congressional colleagues, supporting the application 

submitted by the Duluth Airport Authority 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 of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

ll::lR1m<:e an 

As ociate Director 

Small C munity Air Service Development 
U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Richard M. Nolan 

Congress of the United States 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Congressman Nolan: 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, cosigned by your congressional colleagues, supporting the application 

submitted by the Duluth Airport Authority 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 of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 
C!Congrt~s of tbe ilntteb ~tatts 

Brooke Chapman 

Office of Aviation Analysis 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Washington DC 20590 

Dear Associate Director Chapman: 

7JIJ..tl!~binQ't@n, i!·~ 20510 

July 16, 2013 

lt is with great enthusiasm that we offer our support to the Small Community Air Service Development 

(SCASD) grant application of the Duluth Airport Authority and Visit Duluth. Duluth's SCASD 

application has broad support in the local community evident by the public and private money committed 

as a local match. 

Duluth is a model candidate for the SCASD program due to its higher fares and limited air service 

connectivity. A recent leakage study revealed that 49% of potential passengers within a 30 mile radius of 

Duluth choose to drive 2 \12 hours to Minneapolis due in part to higher fares and limited connectivity. The 

same study also shows that 70% of Duluth's air passengers are outbound. These trends are reversible 

with the assistance ofthe SCASD program. 

The Duluth Airport Authority, in partnership with Visit Duluth, has developed a plan targeting travel 

from Chicago to Duluth in an effort to attract leisure travelers to the Duluth area. This effort will combat 

the 70% outbound passenger numbers directly bringing the percentage closer to an industry acceptable 

50%. Increased passengers to Duluth will assist the airport in working with each of its airline partners to 

keep fares competitive and provide additional frequencies. The economic impact of this investment will 

also be felt in many businesses of the region as travelers stay in area hotels, eat in local restaurants, and 

shop in many of the local small businesses that call Duluth home. 

The airport and the community are on the cusp of self-sustaining growth with the infusion of capital the 

SCASD program can provide. We think you will agree that Duluth's application makes a strong case. 

Thank you for your consideration of their application. 

United States Senator United States Senator 

Richard M. Nolan 

Member of Congress