U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

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 of Sioux City, Iowa for a 

grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation'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 or insufficient service. Under the statute, 

the Department may make a maximum of 40 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 of projects 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 of any 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 of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2012-0069 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely 'yours, 

Aloha 

~ Ley 

Associate Director, Small Community 

Air Service Development Program 
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Aloba Ley 

May29, 2012 

Associate Director. Small Community Program 

Office of Aviation Analysis 

1200New Jersey Avenue, SE W86-310 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Ms. Ley: 

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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 of Sioux City, fowa. 

The Sioux 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 of Sioux City~ IA would use this 

grant money to enhance marketing efforts to ensure the success of the new American Eagle 

flights to Chicago. 

The City of Sioux 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 of this worthy application. 

Sincerely, 

/ 

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