U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

SEP 11 2014 

Ms. Mimi Johnstone 

Office Manager 

Dienamic Tooling Systems, Inc. 

303 Sam Rayburn Parkway 

Lenoir City, TN 37771 

Dear Ms. Johnstone: 

' ... ~ 

Assistant Secretary 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter, addressed to Secretary Foxx, supporting the proposal submitted by the 

Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority for a grant under the U.S. Department of 

Transportation's Small Community Air Service Development Program. Secretary Foxx asked 

that I respond to you on his behalf. 

The Small Community Air Service Development Program was established to help smaller 

communities address air service deficiencies, particularly issues related to high airfares and 

insufficient service. Under the statute, the Department may make a maximum of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than four may be to communities in the san1e State. To 

provide conununities with latitude in developing solutions to their air service deficiencies, the 

statute provides flexibility in the types of air service development projects that can be funded. 

On June 30, the Department issued an order setting a deadline of July 31 for applications. As 

these grant requests are pending before the Department, I cannot comment on the merits of any 

particular proposal. 1 assure you, however, that the Department will give full and fair 

consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our standard practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2014-0113 as a contact outside the record ofthis matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
Dienamic Tooling Systems, Inc. 

303 Sam Rayburn Parkway 

08tl4/2014 

Mimi Johnstone 

Dienamic Tooling Systems, Inc. 

303 Sam Rayburn Parkway 

Lenoir City, TN 

The Honorable Anthony Fox 

Secretary 

Unites States Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

RE Docket DOT-OST-2014-0113 

Dear Secretarj Fox, 

Lenoir City, TN 37771 

Phone: (865) 717-1540 

Fax: (865) 717-1555 

I have been made aware of the application submitted by the Metropolitan Knoxville Airport Authority and the 

competitive Airfare Partnership under the 2014 Small Community Air Service Development Grant Program. I 

am writing today to encourage the Department of Transportation to approve this application. 

We are small company. The nature of our business, production of Automotive stamping dies requires us to 

frec;uently llave toolmakers and project managers physically visit our customer's plams for repairs, 

troubleshooting, die buyoffs, etc. Even with today's electronic technology to communicate remotely vve need to 

travel, usually at the last minute with very little notice. As an example we travel frequently to Michigan. With 

less than a weeks' notice to make reservations, our average airfares are approximately $1000.00. Because we 

have v~r; few travel choices in Knoxville we are forced to pay these fares to provide our services. Air travel is a 

huge hit to our budget but one we have had no choice but to absorb. Willingly taking the hit does not help 

promote competitive pricing. It's obvious if businesses continue to pay these. fares willingly then why would it 

change. 

Knoxville's grant application seeks to address the issue by increasing airline competition at McGhee Tyson 

Airport. The grant would enable Knoxville to recruit and provide start up support for low-fare airline service at 

TYS. The impact of this would be dramatic not just for local corporate business but for leisure travelers wishing 

to vacation here.. It shouldn't be so cost prohibitive to visit Knoxville and our beautiful East TN area. 

I am hoping the US DOT will see the importance of helping our region reduce the cost of airfare for all travelers, 

business and visitors alike by approving Knoxville's Small Community Air SerJice Development Grant 

Application. 

Mimi Johnstone 

Office Manager 

Cc: J. H Evans