# u.s. Department ofTransportation Office of the Secretary ofTransportation


# SEP 11 2014
Mr. Keith D. Goodwin President and CEO East Tennessee Children's Hospital 2018 ClinchAvenue Knoxville, TN 37916 Dear

## Mr. Goodwin: Assistant Secret.ary
.; i'·-· 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE • .• Washington, DC 20590



### Thank you for your letter, addressed to Secretary Foxx, supporting the proposal submittedbythe Metropolitan Knoxville AirportAuthority for a grant underthe U.S. Department of Transportation's Small CommunityAir Service DevelopmentProgran1. Secretary Foxx asked that lrespond to you onhis behalf. The Small Community Air ServiceDevelopment Program was established to help smaller communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issuesrelated to high airfares and insufficient service. Underthe statute, the Department may make a maximum of40 grant awards each year, although no more thanfour may be to communities in the same State. To provide commtmities withlatitude in developing solutions to

### their air service deficiencies, the statute provides f1exibility inthetypes ofair service developmentprojectsthat canbe funded. OnJune 30, the Departmentissued an order setting a deadline ofJuly 31 for applications. As these grantrequests are pending before the Department, I carmot comment onthemerits ofany particularproposal. I assure you, however, that the Departmentwill give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have beenproperly filed. As is our standard practice, I amplacing a copy ofyour letter and this response inDocket DOT-OST-2014-0113 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interestin this program.

Susan 

### L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International AffairsAugust 20, 2014

The Honorable Anthony Foxx Secretary United States Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 RE: Docket DOT-OST-2014-0113 Dear Secretary Foxx: I am writing you to encourage the Department's approval of the application ofthe Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority and the Competitive Airfare Partnership underthe 2014 Small Community Air Service Development Grant program. Average airfares at Knoxville have historically been well-above the national average. Our high airline fares have been a burden on local business, have stymied economic development, and have forced both local and visiting leisure travelers to either drive or not travel at all. Members of our management team and medical staff routinely plan trips around driving to Nashville, Charlotte, North Carolina oreven Atlanta to find reduced fares and preferred flight times. These kinds ofdecisions increase travel time, decrease professional time on thejob and increase personal risk associated with extended driving associated with using these remote airports. Knoxville's grant application seeks to address this issue by increasing airline competition at McGhee Tyson Airport. Through increased price competition we will be able to increase use of the airport which in turn will create the opportunity for increased flight flexibility which then in turn results in increased use. Ifthe grant application is approved, Knoxville will be able to recruit and provide startup marketing support for new low-fare airline service at our airport. The impact ofthe additional low-fare flights would be dramatic and immediate. 

### I hope that the Department will help the East Tennessee region reduce the cost of air travel for business, government, and leisure travelers by approving Knoxville's Small Community Air Service Development Grant application. It will be great for East Tennessee Children's Hospital.



# - Keith D. Goodwin President and CEO KDG/slm



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