Pettiford, Marie (OST) 

From: 

Sent: 

To: 

Cc: 

Subject: 

Attachments: 

Martin Moe [cordovachamber@ak.net] 

Thursday, January 13, 2011 4:16 PM 

LaHood, Ray(OST) 

Kurland, Susan (OST); Devany, Dennis (OST); 

Sean.parnell@alaska.gov; Marc.luiken@alaska.gov-commissioner 

EAS Support 

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Cordova Chamber of Commerce 

P.O. Box 99 • Firsi Street 

Cordova. Alaska 99574 

(907)424-7260 • Fax (907) 424-7259 

www.cordovachamber.com 

CORDOVA - ALASKA'S HIDDEN TREASURE 

January 13, 2011 

The Honorable Ray LalHood 

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue. S.E. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

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Re: Continuation of Alaska Airlines' Essential Air Sen^ice at Cordova. Gustavus. Petersburg. Wranaell. and 

Yakutat. Alaska. Docket OST-1998-4899 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

This letter is to express our strong support for the selection of Alaska Airlines to continue to provide essential 

air sen/ice to our community. The jet service Alaska currently provides is critical for the continued access and 

economic well being of Cordova as well as that of this entire region of the state. As a landlocked rural 

community, Cordova relies heavily on air transport to provide residents and visitors alike with access to and 

from the 'outside world." 

Alaska's cun'ent pattern of service - using modem jet aircraft - meets several crucial needs that would be 

difficult, if not impossible, to meet with any other type of service or aircraft type: 

• Alaska's service connects Cordova passengers to one or more major communities of interest, with daily 

single-plane service to Anchorage. Juneau, Ketchikan or Seattle. From these hubs, our community can 

access the airline's extensive route system and benefit from its far-reaching marketing relationships. Our 

visitor industry relies on these connections to bring people here. 

• Alaska's sen/ice provides essential cargo (freight and mall) capacity required to meet many of our 

community's daily necessities. In addition, Alaska annually carries approximately 1,500,000 pounds of fish 

from Cordova to the marketplaces of the world- providing an irreplaceable link in our commercial fishing 

economy. Alaska has demonstrated its commitment to meet the airfreight needs of the communities in the 

state by investing in the first-ever fleet of 737-400 combination aircraft. These more modem 737s replaced 

the older 737-200 combi aircraft in Alaska's fleet and provide improved access, capacity and comfort for 

airline passengers in Southeast Alaska. 
• Alaska's investment in required navigation perfonDance (RNP) flight technology allows access to airports in 

Southeast Alaska during periods of inclement weather, which enhances the reliability of the airiine's service 

to our community. In sum, Alaska's jet service is critical to the economic and social well being of our 

community. 

For these reasons, we respectfully urge DOT to select Alaska Airlines to continue to provide essential air 

sen/ice to Southeast Alaska, as the airilne has successfully done for more than thirty years. 

Sincerely, 

Martin H. Moe, Executive Director 

cc: Susan Kuriand, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs 

Dennis DeVany, Chief, EAS and Domestic Analysis 

The Honorable Sean Parnell, Governor, State of Alaska 

Marc A Luiken, Commissioner, Alaska State Department of Transportation and Public Facilities