•EFARTMENTOF 

' ANSPORTATION 

. lelOPER/VilONS 

^ozun ofMassena, 9{ezu^orl<;^, ,, ,^ p ,^ ^^ 

'EstaSCisHed: 1802 

TmmJ M 315-769-3588 

60 9v(ain Street (y^a^ 315-769-0578 

C^assena, 9^zi>yorf(il3662 fittp://7Viuiu.jnassenaivoT^.coin/tozim/inde7(.asp 

August 20, 2010 

Mr. Dennis J. DeVany, Chief 

EAS StDomestic Analysis Division 

Office of Aviation Analysis 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Essential Air Service Division, X-53 

W86 308,1200 New Jersey Avenue SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Re: IX)T-OST-1997-2842 

Proposal for Gulfstream International Airlines to Provide Subsidized Essential Air Service 

for IVIassena, New York 

Dear Mr. DeVany: 

On behalf of the Town of Massena and its Town Council, I am writing to comment on the proposals 

submitted for our Essential Air Service contract which is set to expire in September. On August 18, 2010, 

the Massena Town Council voted by a margin of 4-1 to support the proposal from Gulfstream 

International Airlines. 

It is our belief that Massena will be best served by the Gulfstream International Airlines proposal to 

provide service to Boston with a pressurized-cabin, 19-passenger aircraft. Furthermore, we are pleased 

that the Gulfstream meets or exceeds the Essential Air Service criteria requirements as to the size of the 

aircraft and service to a medium or large hub. We hereby invoke our right to the provisions included in 

those criteria. 

The Town Council is intrigued by Gulfstream's verbal commitment to provide service to Albany from 

Ogdensburg should they be successful in securing that EAS contract as well. This "regional" approach to 

air service would seem to be a much more efficient and practical way to address the varied concerns 

expressed by local passengers for service to two main destinations. 

The DOT is to be commended for assisting in securing Cape Air to provide Massena's present EAS after 

the failure of Big Sky Airlines left us with no service a few years ago. Cape Air's presence and service was 

a welcome relief to travelers who were faced with the prospect of traveling 70 to 100 miles to board an 

airplane. We thank both Cape Air and your agency for coming to our assistance at that time. 
Now we must move forward. 

The Town Council is pleased that the DOT takes our opinion into consideration in this process. We are 

also confident that DOT's oversight and due diligence will ensure that whoever is awarded the EAS 

contract for Massena has adequate business resources to prevent any future interruption of our air 

service. 

The EAS program is a wonderful example of how the federal government can have a direct impact on 

the American public by providing services at the local level. We are thankful it exists and we hope it will 

continue for many more years. 

I have enclosed for your information and review, a historical perspective of Essential Air Service for our 

airport and the surrounding North Country Region. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this 

letter or the Town Council's stance on these EAS proposals, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

Sincerely, 

Joseph D. Gray, Supervisor 

Town of Massena 

cc: Hon. Charles Schumer; U.S. Senator 

Hon. Kirsten Gillibrand; U.S. Senator 

Hon. Bill Owens; Member of Congress, NY District 23 

Hon. Greg Paquin; Chair, St. Lawrence County Legislature 

Mr. David Hackett; President, Gulfstream International Airlines 

Ms. Pat McGowan; Executive Director, St. Lawrence Co. Chamber of Commerce 

Mr. Jason Clark; Executive Director, Business Dev. Corp. for a Greater Massena 
The Following is a historical perspective of Essential Air Service that has been provided at 

our airport and throughout the North Country region. 

The Town of Massena has worked consistently to improve air service in the St. Lawrence Valley 

region since 2004. Our efforts have been advanced by: 

• A US DOT Community Air Service grant received in 2005 to market the Massena Airport 

and develop sustainable service; 

• Active membership in the North Country Airport Alliance since its inception, where we work 

cooperatively with three other EAS served airports; 

• The support of twenty community partners who served on the St. Lawrence Valley Air Task 

Force that helped us to obtain and implement our Community Air Service Grant; 

• Cape Air, our EAS provider since 2008, which restored confidence in our airport by 

providing exceptional local service following the unanticipated bankruptcy of Big Sky 

Airlines, our EAS provider from April 2007 to January 2008. 

These efforts reflect the recent evolution of air service in Massena. For several years prior, 

Massena was served by various carriers, including MESA Airlines, who flew under a US 

Airways banner. They operated 19 seat planes that flew from Massena to Pittsburgh, with stops 

in Ogdensburg and Watertown. At the time, Pittsburgh not only<served as a hub for US Airways 

but the route was convenient for the region's primary manufacturer, Alcoa, by linking its 

Massena operations with its Pittsburgh offices. Alcoa has since moved most of its management 

operations to New York, NY. 

Over time, both the Pittsburgh route and the three-stop arrangement became less attractive and 

resulted in lower enplanements, especially in Massena. Several efforts were made to encourage 

MESA to provide direct flights from each airport, and to make Albany, rather than Pittsburgh, 

the destination for flights out of the region. Access to the state capital and flights connecting to 

the east and south, made this location very attractive for the large number of state and federal 

employees in the region, the senior "snowbird" population, and the four universities that are 

located in Canton and Potsdam that primarily attract students from the northeast. 

When MESA did not show interest in changing its approach, local citizens took action. In 2004, 

the St. Lawrence Valley Air Task Force (SLVATF) was formed to advocate for improved air 

service at the Massena International Airport. Co-chaired by leaders from the Business 

Development Corporation for a Greater Massena and the St. Lawrence County Chamber of 

Commerce, this group was able to secure US DOT funding to retain professional marketing and 

air service counsel, which significantly increased enplanements at Massena. 

The SLVATF also served as a conduit through which regional partners worked with Big Sky 

Airlines. Big Sky had forged a partnership with Delta to expand their EAS services to the 

eastern part of the United States. Regional travelers embraced Big Sky's willingness to offer 

direct flights from each airport, provide larger aircraft, and to establish Boston as a destination. 
Unfortunately, Big Sky failed to deliver on its business plan and provided very poor service. It 

ultimately ceased operations at several aiiports including Massena midway through its EAS 

contract. Massena and Ogdensburg were not served by an air carrier for several months. During 

that time, the SLVATF worked diligently with US DOT to identify a replacement carrier that 

would not only restore service, but also rebuild the confidence of the local air traveling public. 

At that time, only two caniers bid on replacement service for the three regional airports; Cape 

Air and Gulfstream International Airlines. Cape Air bid to serve all three airports and 

Gulfstream bid to serve only Watertown. Massena and Ogdensburg endorsed the Cape Air 

proposal based, in part, on recommendations from airport officials in Saranac Lake and 

Plattsburgh, but largely because Cape Air assured service to all three airports. 

Since Cape Air began operations at Massena, enplanements have not only rebounded but grown, 

and they have proven to be exceptional community partners. It is, however, unfortunate, that 

they do not currently offer a service on aircraft that accommodate more than nine passengers. 

The size of their aircraft continues to be a barrier for some potential local travelers who choose 

to enplane elsewhere. 

Work over the past decade has shown that the Massena International Airport has the capacity to 

grow, and as a Board, we are committed to increasing enplanements to the point where we will 

no longer need to be serviced through EAS subsidies.