Williams, Renee (OST) ^OT- f^lludH^^74^ 1^ 

From: Erik Bollt [bolltem@clarkson.edu] '•'^'^'/^f^pATinMO 

Sent: Thursday, September 23, 2010 11:00 AM .-. L i Uf cnM.IUNu 

To: EAS (OST) 

Subject: Dennis Devany: RE Cape Air -G.'O OCT \\.\ P 3.' I 8 

Dear Dennis Devaney, 

I am writing you regarding the DOT renewal of Cape Air service for Massena. 

I strongly support Cape Air's renewal. I am a Clarkson University professor^ and as such, I 

have a great deal of work related travel, and also I have several employees and also 

scientific visitors. Although I make this statement as a private citizen and not as an 

official representative of Clarkson. I do not have the authority to do so. 

Cape Air's presence, a highly reliable service at an affordable price, is exactly what this 

remote region of NY State needs to be economically viable. 

Cape Air has done an amazing job of making a profit on a thin margin of 4 to 

8 passengers it seems on each flight, as far as I have seen on the many times I have flown 

with them. 

I just cannot see how another airline with a bigger plane can make it with such numbers. 

Furthermore, previous airlines have failed trying. Bigger airplanes are nice, but not if 

they invariably lead to a failed service then pulling out. Two airlines ago, the service was 

like a bus: it landed at Plattsburgh, Massena, Ogdensburg, Syracuse, and then Pittsburgh. 

With all the landing planing and deplaning, it often turned out faster to just drive to 

Syracuse if that was the flight. And if the plane was not full - which was usually, they 

would cancel the flight and hire a taxi. Thanks - I could have done that myself. Plus that 

airfare was very very expensive. Several hundred dollars for what sometimes ended up being a 

cab ride. No surprise for both cost and for inconvenience that airline was not used much and 

it failed. 

Then came Big Sky. That failed quickly too. For unreliable service especially, I could not 

use it. 

I have been using Cape Air quite a lot since it arrive. I have been using it personally many 

times to connect into the system to fly all around the country. Also, I have been buying 

tickets for my employees and also for my external scientific visitors. It sure beats 

driving, and especially if you are arriving in the airline system for points far away, 

California, Chicago, etc, connecting through Albany is very natural and easier than asking a 

scientific visitor to deplane and drive from there. I think I have purchased dozens of 

tickets since they have been here in this mode. 

Likewise, my colleagues here at Clarkson include many people who also travel a lot and have 

visitors, many of whom use Cape Air regularly. Without a reliable and inexpensive airline, 

we would become much more remote. 

Given the prior history of airlines with questionable records and bigger planes, I do not 

welcome another airline with a bigger plane to replace Cape Air. I just cannot imagine how 

they can make it work and stay. I am certain that such a replacement will only conclude in 

roughly a years time with another failed airline letting us down and leaving us eventually 

with zero service. 

I have found the Cape Air airplanes to be quite adequate, the pilots to be very professional 

and capable, and the staff at Massena and at Albany to be very helpful. There was one 

occasion in the winter when a flight was cancelled and we were given the next flight. I was 

impressed with the good decision making on that occasion, and I supported the cancellation. 

1 
I wouldn't have wanted to drive either. All in all, I have heard that the on time record is 

roughly 97%, and that is quite excellent. I can hardly say more of my driving. 

One more note. I was just now reading some of the other letters on the DOT site. I hope 

there is fact checking on these statements. At least one letter I just now read by Paula 

Robbins seems to be a false representation. 

Robbins is not on the directory of Clarkson faculty or staff. Furthermore, and Clarkson 

faculty would know better than making a representative statement for the university without 

running it through the presidents office. Also it is suspicious as such that the return 

email address and the phone number are both not Clarkson based. Notice my @clarkson.edu. 

Finally, his statements do not ring true with my experiences with Cape Air or the statements 

I have heard from others. 

Sincerely, 

Erik Bollt 

Erik M. Bollt, Professor 

Dept of Mathematics & Computer Science 

Clarkson University 

Potsdam, NY 13699-5815 

telephone:315-268-2307 

FAX: 315-268-2371 

email: bolltemOclarkson.edu 

web: http://www.clarkson.edu/~bolltem