THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, DC 20590

May 21, 2014

The Honorable Charles E. Schumer

United States Senate

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Schumer:

Thank you for your letter regarding Essential Air Service (EAS) funding at Jamestown, New

York. In your letter, you urge the U.S. Department of Transportation to consider a waiver to

continue EAS funding for the Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown, despite its Fiscal Year

2013 enplanements. .

As you know, the current Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization included a provision,

49 U.S.C. S 41731 (a)( I)(B), that requires EAS communities within 175 miles of a large or

medium hub to average 10 or more passengers a day in order to remain in the program, or

receive a waiver from the Secretary to remain in the program under 49 U.S.C. S 41731(e).

The Department recently finalized its review of Fiscal Year 2013 data, and Jamestown enplaned

an average of 10.1 passengers per service day, meeting the 10 or more enplanement requirement.

The requirement to maintain 10 or more enplanements is ongoing, so we urge the community to

maximize use of its service during Fiscal Year 2014, the next period when enplanements will be

measured.

We are aware that Silver Airways recently provided notice of its intent to terminate service at

Jamestown. The Department has required Silver to maintain service until a replacement carrier

is selected.

As is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in Docket

DOT-OST-2003-14950, as a contact outside the record of this case. You may track the progress

of this case and view the publicly available documents filed in the docket by accessing the

Federal Docket Management System at www.regulations,gov and searching for Docket

DOT-OST-2003-14950.

I hope this information is helpful.

Sin~~),

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~nthOny R. Foxx .
CHARU:S E. SCHUMER

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United ~tQtes ~cnJte

WASHINGTON. DC 20510

January 27, 2014

The Honorable Anthony Foxx

Secrctary of Transportation

U.S. Departmcnt of Transportation

1200 New Jersey A venue, S.B.

Washington, D.C. 20590

Dear Secretary Foxx,

BANKING

OEMOCRA TIC POlICV & COMMUNICATIONS

ANANCe

JUDICIARY

RUleS

I write today to urge you to consider exercising your authority under 49 U.S.C. S 41731

in support ofa Fiscal Year 2014 waiver for Essential Air Service (EAS) funding for the

Chautauqua County Airport in Jamestown, New York. As you know, EAS funding is critical to

the Chautauqua County community and without it therc would not be commercial service

available to residents or businesses in the region. For Fiscal Year 2013, Chautauqua County

estimates that their enplanements per day ,,~ll be 9.96, which is just 38 total passengers below

the 10 per day average required for the year. There are a number of factors that have caused

lower enplanement numbers in 2013, many if not all of which should not exist next year, and so

as a result I urge you to approve a waiver and keep Chautauqua County eligible for EAS upon

their request in 2014.

This past year alone Chautauqua County estimates that roughly 52 nighis were cancelled

as a result of inclement weather and equipment failure, if those flights had not been cancelled

then their enplanement number would have far exceeded the 10.0 required. Furthemlore. there

were a number of technical issues with the Automated Weather Observation Station (A WOS)

which resulted in additional cancelled flights, the airline and airport are working together to

correct those issues which will also result in an increase in enplanements.

In addition to addressing these issues, Chautauqua County is working in collaboration

with Silver Airlines and local attractions like the Seneca-Alleghany Casino, Chautauqua Wine

Trail, the Lucy-Desi Museum, the Chautauqua Institution and other local attractions to increase

passenger counts through cross-promotion and collaboration. Lastly, Chautauqua County is

working with Silver Airlines to negotiate lower-fare service from the airport, which has already

had a net positive impact on ridership. In the last three months passenger counts arc up 17% from

their 2012 totals and the airport e1Cpectsthat number to continue to increase.
It is for the above reasons that I strongly encourage you to issue a:waiver to the

Chautauqua County Airport and allow EAS funding to continue to be used to support service

there. It is good for local residents, will help boost tourism, and most importantly provides a

valuable asset in the communities' efforts to create and retain good, high paying jobs in the

region.

~U- Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator