BRIAN P. BILBRAY 

3348 RAVftURN HOU9i OFFICE BuiLDiNG 

WABHHNaTQN. DC 20515 

(202) 226-0608 

FAX (202) 225-2608 

DISTWCT OFFICE: 

402 SnvENs AVE. . '10 7 

SOLANA BEACH, C A S207B 

(8B«}3CO~11SO 

FAX (e6«) 360-0750 

(tanQV2BB of tl|e MnxUh ^tuUB 

lOaBliingtan, Sd 20515-0530 

AND GOVERNMENT REFORM 

coMMrrrE E O N SCIENC E 

AND TECHNOLOGY 

COMMITTEE ON 

VETERANS' AFPAIHS 

HOUSE REPOBUCAN 

POLICY COMMTTTEE 

IMMIOflATJON REFORM 

CAUCUS. CHAIRMAN 

October 5,2010 

The Honorable Ray L^ood :^, 

Secretary of Transportation ; 

U.S. Dqjartmcnt of Transportation 

4G0 7th Street, S,W. 

Washington D.C. 20590 -

Dear Secretary LaHood: — 

It is my pleasure to express my support for the County of San Diego's FY 2010 Small 

Community Air Service Development grant submission requesting $500,000 in federal funding 

to encourage increased access to the national air transportation system from the McClellanPalomar Airport (Airport) in Carlsbad, California. 

The McCIellan-Palomar Airport has experienced a reduction in airlines offering flights in and 

out of the Airport and has seen a dramatic decline in passengers. With limited flights available, 

passengers in the area must opt to use other, larger airports in the region in order to access the 

national air transportation system. This issue is imown as "passenger leakage". Passenger 

leakage to alternate airports in San Diego (Lindbergh Field), Orange County and Los Angeles 

adds to freeway congestion on already overcrowded Southern California roads. 

The County of San Diego recently iiinded a study regarding the passenger leakage issue. The 

findings of the study demonstrate that the San Diego North County area generates a total of 

almost 3.3 million passenger trips in and out of the region per year, yet the Airport retains less 

than two-percent of those passenger trips. This finding reveals there is an unmet demand for air 

service in and out of the Airport and the residents and businesses in the community would 

benefit fi:om receiving a Small Community Air Service Development grant. 

If Small Community Air Service Development grant funding is received, the Airport will utilize 

grant awards to assist with the goal of encouraging airlme carriers that do not currently offer 

flights out of the Airport to enter into the North County market and begin offering service out of 

McClellan-Palomar. Local funding contributions, including waiving terminal rent and landing 

fees at the Airport for a new carrier for a negotiated period of time, have also been allocated to 

accompany any grant award funding received and offer additional incentives to new airline 

carriers to begin offering service out of Carlsbad. 

-._. J- ; 

PBlNTEDO^RECVCLtDPAPE" 
SI(M(ii()l.^-(l25 

The Airport has already received some preliminary interest from one airline to enter into the 

North County market; a Small Community Air Service Development grant to provide this startup support would help encourage airline interest. 

Thank you for your consideration of the proposal being submitted by the County of San Diego's 

McClellan-Palomar Airport and your encouragement of Small Community Air Service 

Development grant funding for this important project. 

Sincerdy, 

/f 

Brian P. Bilbray 

Member of Congress