~ CORPUS CHRISTl 

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

Prosperity. Together. 

I 

June 5, 2012 \ 

The Honorable Ray LaH I od 

Secretary, U.S. Departme t of Transportation 

400 ih St SW 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

The Corpus Christi Cham er of Commerce would like to extend support for the Corpus Christi 

International Airport's ( RP) application request for the Small . Community Air Service 

Development Grant from he U.$. Department of-Transportat-ion. The Corpus Christi Chamber 

of Commerce believes this grant will-have a significant impact on our region and state. 

There are three major airl nes providing service in .and out of CRP: American, Southwest and 

.l)nit~d. Over. the past sev ral years, t.l).e·carriers have reduced capacity which has caused prices 

to rise. As a result, trave ers use San Antonio as their origin or destination airport to take 

advantage of lower fares d direct service. If consumers continue to use other communities as 

their destination airport, it ffects the quality, quantity and price of air service. 

The Chamber understands hat if the CRP is awarded the grant, the money would be used for 

marketing the airport and c uld potentially be used to entice a low cost carrier to provide service 

out of Corpus Christi. Pric~ is import;m.t to cusJomers and we depend on the air services CRP .. 

provides. The grant will he~p our· region take advantage of low-cost service and an increase of 

enplanements here at home.l Because we are considered a destination community, these changes 

will support ~nd shape the ~conomy of o?r City, and even out region, for decade~: Li~e. the US 

DOT, we beheve the foc~s qf transportatiOn dollars must be on the people and commumt1es who 

use the transportation systenk 

i 

Once again, the Corpus Chr,sti Chamber of Commerce strongly supports the CRP grant request. 

We urge the DOT to suppoq the Corpus Christi International ,Airp"rts grant request and help us 

realize our full transportatio1 potential. 

Foster Edwards, 

President & CEO 

I 

! 

1501 North Chaparral Street Corpus Christi, Texas 78401 361.881.1800 ph 361.8824256 fax www.corpuschnstichamber.org 
CORPUS CHRISTI HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

June 5, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary, U.S. Department ofTransportation 

400 7th St SW 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Honorable Ray LaHood: 

The Corpus Christi Hispanic Chamber of Commerce is pleased to express our support of the Corpus 

Christi International Airport (CPR) as a recipient of the Small Community Air Service Development Grant. 

Currently, CRP has three major carriers who provide service, and is taking steps toward increased 

capacity and better serve our community. 

The grant funds would be used to market the airport, reduce the leakage to San Antonio that1<eeps our · 

enplanement numbers down and could potentially be used to entice a low cost carrier to provide service 

out of CRP. • 

- ~ ~ ~ 

The AirpOrt's three major carriers have all reduced capacity over the past few years which have caused 

prices to increase. Although we are fortunate to have these airlines serving CRP, we need to take steps 

to encourage stakeholders to support their hometown airport. We need to better articulate the tie-in 

between quality of air service, its impact on tourism, business development and the impact on the local 

economy. We believe that an increase in enplanements is the first step in getting the airlines to increase 

capacity at CRP. lower fares would bring more passengers which in turn would lead to lower fares and 

better service ... A$ an airport, we .would be better positioned to affect. the latter. 

The Corpus Ch~isti International Airport has been actively engaged member with the Corpus Christi 

Hispanic Chambe·r of Commerce in working to grow our Coastal Bend community's economy and serves 

as a vital catalyst fof economic opportunity. We support all the Airport's initiatives to help grow our 

local economy ;:~nd are excited by the resurgence in excitement for our local Airport . .. . We look forward to lfi!Orking with the other partners in the CBMAS Consortium to develop the plan for 

the future growth and development of our region. 

Sincerely, 

~·~ Rosie Collin, 

President/CEO 

P.O. Box 5523, Corpus Christi, Texas 78465 

W'ebsire: WUJU•.cchirpamahamber.org Phone: 361.837.7,!08 Fax: .361.888.94 '3 
June 6, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation 

400 71

h St SW . 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Mr. Secretary: 

As the gateway for air service to the Coastal Bend of Texas, Corpus Christi International 

Airport is an invaluable an" integral part of tbe South Texas Infrastructure providing the 

opportunity for business and leisure air travel to and fro~ the:area. · . 

As a super-regional mall, La Palmera is also an integral part of the Coastal Bend, 

providing a highlY valued:r9tai~ shopping experience. Having-Invested ·$50 million in the· 

renovation of La Palmera, we are also invested in our future here in the Coastal Bend. 

Although a good number of our customers are residents within the 120-mile radius we 

serve, we, like many other local businesses also depend on those traveling in and out of 

our community, particularly those here on vacation. Tourism remains a major driver of 

the local economy and the airport Is an Integral par1 of that. 

Aithough we currently have three major carriers providing service to Corpus Christi, 

some. travelers in the .fringe areas have begun to utilize ather airports such as San 

Antonio lntemationai. .. As a result, the number of travelers:iri aAd out ofCRP is down, 

which means, among other things, that prices have gone up. In an effort to remain 

viable, CRP is pursuing a Small Community Air Service Development Grant, which 

would be utilized by CRP to market the airport and potentially entice a low cost carrier to 

the airport. 

As a member of the local business community, we fully support the CRP grant request 

and recognize its importance to the continued success of CRP· and the Coastal Bend 

region of Texas as a whole. 

Sincerely, ) ; 

l) ~}; //'·:·1 ' ' .. fj (-~M'/F- y~7 t .. {~?Jf"· - Fred Walters 

General Manager, La Palmera 
(DKiewit 

June 6, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary, U.S. Department ofTranspmiation 

400 t 11 St SW 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Mr. LaHood, 

Kiewit Offshore Services, Ltd. ("KOS") offers this letter as an expression of supp011 for an 

application by the Corpus Christi International Airport ("CRP") for a Small Community Air 

Servic~ Development Grant that they. are pursuing from the federal QOT. . > 

If awarded to CRP, the money would be used to appropriately market the airpo11 in order to 

reduce the leakage to San Antonio that keeps our enplanement numbers down and could 

poten~ally be used to enfice a low cost carrier to provide service '(Hit ofCRP. 

The full potential of the Corpus Christi area with respect to tourism, business development and 

the overall economy is not being realized due, in part, to the failure of our airpm1 to provide 

quality, reasonably-priced air services. Clearly, an increase in enplanements is the first step in 

getting the airlines to increase capacity at CRP and get us moving in the right direction. 

Thank you in advance for your consideration of this application and ple~se know that job growth 

ofthis region is dependent upon-support' such as this. . . 

Sincerely, 

~/~~ ,/- / 

Roy DeBolt 

Contracts Manager . 

KIEWIT OFFSHORE SERVICES, l TO. 

2440 Kiewit Road, Ingleside, TX 78362 

(351) 775-4300 (361) 775-4431 -fax