U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

, The Honorable Terry Nealey 

Washington State Legislature 

Olympia, W A 98504-0600 

Dear Mr. Nealey: 

JUL 5 1n12 

\·· 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for yourletter, cosigned by your colleagues, supporting the proposal submitted by the 

Walla Walla Regional Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department of Trao.sportation' s Small 

·. Community Air Service Development Program. 

·The Small Community 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 4 

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 9f projects that can be funded. 

On May 15, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in receiving a 

grantthis year file their applications hy June 11. As these grant requests are pending before the 

Department, I cannot comment on the merits of any patiicular proposal. I assure you that the 

Department will giyc full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been propetly filed. 

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

DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. An identical letter has been sent to each cosigner of your letter. 

Sincerely yours, 

Myf)v% 

Aloha Ley 

Associate Director, Small Community 

Air Service Development Program 
U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Maureen Walsh 

Washington State Legislature 

Olympia, W A 98504-0600 

Dear Ms. Walsh: 

JUL 5 2012 

,i. •• < 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, cosigned by your colleagues. supporting the proposal submitted by the 

Walla Walla Regional Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department ofTransportation's Small 

Community Air Service Development Program. 

The Small Community 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 avvards each year, although no more than 4 

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 May 15, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in receiving a 

grant this year file their applications by June 1 1. 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 normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT -OST -2012-0069 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. An identical letter has been sent to each cosigner of your letter. 

Sincerely yours, 

·AIJ, .. J; 01 

.- i))t!Vu 

1\loha Ley 

Associate Director, Small Community 

Air Service Development Program 
U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Mike Hewitt 

Washington State Legislature 

·Olympia, WA 98504-0600 

Dear Mr. Hewitt: 

"'"·":.·-: 

JUL a 2DI2 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, cosigned by your colleagues, supporting the proposal submitted by the 

Walla Walla Regional Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small 

Community Air Service Development Program. 

.. . "". 

The Small Community Program "Yas established to help smaller communities address air service 

deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares or insufficient service. Under the statute, 

the Departmentmay make a maximum of 40 grant awards each year, although no more than 4 

awards may be to communities in the same State. In order to provide communities with latitude 

in developing solutions to their air scrvice.defi'cicncies, the statute provides flexibility in the 

types of projects that can be funded. 

On May 15, the .D~partmerit. issued ari ord~r-requesting that communities interested in·receiving a 

grant this year file their applications by June II. 1\s 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 normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. An identical letter has been sent to each cosigner of your letter. 

S i nee rely yours. 

1\£~~02_;( 

Aloha Ley U 

Associate Director. Small Community 

Air Service Development Program 
May 30,2012 

Ms. Aloha Ley 

Associate Director, Small Community Program 

Office of Aviation Analysis 

US Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE W86-310 

Washington, DC 20590 

RE: Order 2012-05-08; Docket DOT- OST-2012-0069 

Dear Ms. Ley, ·- . 

Preserving commercial air service in the greater Walla Walla valley is critical to our economic vitality. For some 27 years 

· Hol'i-zon/Ataska Airlines has been providing commerci<d air service to Walla Walla; - ·. · · · · · ·.·· .. ,· 

In 2Q09. Alaska Airlines changed its airplane fleet from a 37 passenger aircraft to a 76 passenger ~ircraft. ~ince this change, 

.Walla Walla has struggled to meet Alaska Airlines passenger enplanement.goals. In. April the airline informed a group 9f 

-commo~fty leapers that tney are losing' mo~ey i~ th; Wail a Walla market. It ii. critic~! to·t~~rease passen.ger enplanem~nts. 

With this background, we enthusiastically endorse the Small Community Air Service Development Grant application being 

submitted by the Walla Walla Regional Airport. Development of the comprehensive marketing plan to encourage additional 

passenger enplanements is exactly the approach we need to take to preserve air service. 

We_ are .r.Ieased with the community partnerships bei.ng aligned for this project. Thi-s i!lcluqes the Port of Walla Walla, 

· tauri~J? Walla Walla, Walla Walla Valley Chamber of Commerce, the Walla W~ll~ ~u:i~ Alliance, and the local Air Travel 

Coalition. 

-· 1 •. . -. 

P_lease give ·this application careful consideration as our community works together to pre~erve air service in the Walla 

Walla valley; 

Respectfully, 

Sen. Mike Hewitt 

l61h Legislative District 

Rep. Maureen Walsh 

l61h Legislative District 

Rep. Terry Nealey 

I 61

h Legislative District