Southeast Iowa Regional Airport Authority 2515 Summer St. Burlington, IA 52601

Phone: 319.754.1414 Fax: 319.754.1424 Website: www.flybrl.com October 27, 2011

Mr. Dennis DeVany

Chief, Essential Air Service

U.S. DOT, Office of the Secretary

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE

Washington, DC 20590

RE: Essential Air Service at Burlington, IA (BRL), Docket OST

- 2001

- 8731

Dear Mr. DeVany:

I behalf of the Southeast Iowa Regional Airport Authority Board members, I want to thank you

for the opportunity to comment on the proposals submitted for air service at Southeast Iowa

Regional Airport (BRL). We have reviewed the Essential Air Service proposals submitted by Air

Choice One Airlines and Hyannis Air Service Inc., dba Cape Air.

Ultimately, it is the Airport Authority’s goal to reach 10,000 enplanements and the best way to

attain that goal is through Air Choice One’s Option #2, Dual Hub Service, using the Cessna

Caravan with 30 total round trips per week

. Although, Air Choice On e’s Option #1 with 2 daily

round trip flights to Chicago

- ORD and 2 daily round trip flights to St. Louis

- STL, with a slightly

decreased schedule on the weekends for a total of 24

- round trips per week is not as attractive

to attaining our 10,000 passenger e nplanements, it will serve us as an alternate option.

With both Air Choice One options, t he Authority Board also favors a 4

- year contract. By

extending the contract period to 4

- years, it is our expectation that Air Choice One will be in a

better positi on to secure inter

- line ticketing and baggage agreements.

Public input meetings were held on Thursday, October 27, 2011 with presentations from both

air carriers. In addition to the public meetings, Greater Burlington Partnership (Chamber of

Commerce) surveyed their members with an astounding 97% of all members surveyed selecting

Air Choice One. Air service to Chicago O’Hare was the number one reason for their selection.Southeast Iowa Regional Airport Authority 2515 Summer St. Burlington, IA 52601

Phone: 319.754.1414 Fax: 319.754.1424 Website: www.flybrl.com Page 2

Although we realize the financial difference be tween each airlines bid, we want to stress the

importance of a Chicago

- ORD connection, which Cape Air is not offering. The southeast Iowa

region has numerous international companies which benefit from a Chicago

- ORD connection,

making this connection a vit al part of economic development for our region.

In order to assist us in remaining below the $200 per passenger subsidy level we have secured

a grant from the Iowa Department of Transportation to promote commercial air service. A plan

to market air se rvice through traditional media outlets, newspaper, radio, billboards and

signage is in place. We will continue to work with Air Choice One to ensure that per passenger

subsidy level s stay below the cap.

Past performance has shown that the dual hub option of Chicago O’Hare and St. Louis Lambert,

results in much great usage of our local airport. The reliability and availability of the Cessna

Caravan to serve our communities is believed to be a great asset as well. We trust Air Choice

One w ill follow through to provide a schedule to allow the best connectivity possible, to

continue to secure popular web site booking engines, code share agreements, baggage

agreements and inter

- line ticketing agreements.

Thank you for the support we receive through your office and the Essential Air Service Program.

Sincerely,

Charl es E. Walsh

Board Chairman