.u.s. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

The Honorable Patty Murray 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

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Dear Senator Murray: 

JUL 5 2012 

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1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter supporting the proposal submitted by the Port of Walla Walla, Walla 

Walla Valley Wine Alliance, Tourism Walla Walla, and the Walla Walla Chamber of Commerce 

for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service 

Development Program. 

The Small Community Air Service Development 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 Program 
Ms. Aloha Ley 

Associate Director, Small Community Program 

Office of Aviation Analysis 

US Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave. SE W86-3l 0 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Associate Director Ley, 

I am \vrtting in support for the combined application by the Port of Walla Walla, Walla Walla 

Valley Wine Alliance, Tourism Walla Walla, and the Walla Walla Chamber ofCornmerce fbr 

the Small Community Air Service Development grant program prop{)Sal. The $250,000 request 

would be coupled with a comtmmity raised $50,000 to ensure continued passenger growth on 

inbound and outbound Alaska Airlines (Hmizon Air) flights to the Walla Walla Regional Airport 

(ALW). 

Walla Waila Regional Airport is served, on average, by two inbound and two outbound Alaska 

Airlines flights per day. In 2011, the total hoardings at AL W in 2011 totaled 32,127. Passenger 

numbers and load factors the first quarter 2012 indicate that total hoardings for 2012 may 

surpass 2011 levels. Even with this, however, load factors and not yet sufficiently high enough to 

long·term continued fi:om Airlines ALW's only scheduled service. 

The Walla Walla is of Walla Walla and 

in Northeastern Oregon <md Southeastern~ including Milton and Pendleton. 

Oregon. in number the nurnber to the 

Walla Walla area has·increased, and the Walla Walla Ail-p01t Coalition believes that very 

positive tourism trends and assorted outbound tt·avel opportunities, when combined with a sn·otlg 

local marketing effort, can continue this growth in passenger boardings. This proposal is an 

excellent example public private partnership which will ensu!'e the maintenance 

jobs and even Ute possibility of furthered job growth as the current Hight schedule ts maintained 

and, potentially, expanded at AL W. 

Thank you for your consideration of the Port of Walla Walla's application to the Small 

Community Air Service Dtwelopment Program. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate 

to contact my Seattle office at (206)