U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary ofTransportation

The Honorable Mike Johanns United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Johanns: 

### JUL 5 2012 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by the City ofSioux City, Iowa for a grant under the U.S. Department ofTransportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program.

The Small Community Program was established to help smaller communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares orinsufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a maximum of40 grant awards each year, although no more than 4 awards may be to communities in the same State. In order to provide communities with latitude· in developing solutions to their air service deficiencies, the statute provides flexibility in the types ofprojects that can be funded.

On May 15, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in receiving a grant this year file their applications by June 11. As these grant requests are pending before the Department, I cannot comment on the merits ofany particular proposal. I assure you that the Department will give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed.

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy ofyour letter and this response in Docket DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interest in this program. Sincerely 'yours,

# ~ Aloha Ley Associate Director, Small Community

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### Aloba 

### Ley May29, 2012



### Associate Director. Small Community Program Office ofAviation Analysis 1200New Jersey Avenue, SE W86-310 Washington, DC 20590



### Dear Ms. Ley:**I~** t t**~** ·r

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### I am 

### writing to express my support for the Small Community Ait Service Development Program grant application submitted by the City ofSioux City, 

### fowa.

TheSioux Gateway Airport is a regional airport serving 

### the entire Siouxland region. including parts of**Nebraska~** 

### Iowa and South Dakota. Last fall. American Airlines 

### became the subsidized Essential Air Service can'ier for 

### the Sioux Gateway Airport by initiating direct scrvicti 

### to Chicago O'Hare International Airpott. 

### Subsequently, in April20l2, the regional American Airlines carrier, American Eagle, 

### became the 

### lone carrier 

### at Sioux Gateway, offering direct round-trip flights 

### to Chicago twice 

### a day. lffLmded, 

### the City 

### ofSioux**City~** IA 

### would use 

### this grant money to enhance marketing efforts to ensure the success ofthe new American Eagle flights to Chicago.

The 

### City ofSioux City is to be commended 

### for its efforts to increase access 

### to air service 

### in the Sioux!and region. Please feel free to contact me. or Andrea 

### Synborski in my Washington. DC office at 202-224-4224, if

### you have questions as you review this application.

Thank you for your consideration ofthis worthy application.



### Sincerely,
/

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