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U5.Departmeiit of Assistant Secretary }?PV^ 7 ^^nr^9nsl"n^' ^^ 

Itansportation Wash.ngton, DC 20590 

Office of the Secretary 

o.T,<x»po«a«cn ^^ ^ ^^ ^ ^011 

Mr. Matthew T. Meadors 

President and Chief Executive Officer 

The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana 

318 Main Street, Suite 401 

Evansville, IN 47708 

Dear Mr. Meadors: 

Thank you for your letter to Secretary LaHood supporting the proposal submitted by the 

Evansville-Vanderburgh Airport Authority District for a grant under the Small 

Community Air Service Development Program (Small Community Program). The 

Secretary has asked that I-respond on his behalf. 

The Small Community 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 use the funds to make a maximimi of 40 grant 

awards each year, although no more than four 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 significant flexibility in how the financial assistance 

may be used. 

On July 1, the Department issued an order requesting that communities interested in 

receiving a grant this year file their applications by August 2. As these grant requests are 

pending before the Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the 

merits of any particular proposal. I assure you, however, that the Department will give 

full consideration to all proposals that have been properly filed. 

As is our normal practice, 1 am placing a copy of your letter and this response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2011-0119 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your 

interest in this program. If I can provide further information or assistance, please feel 

fi-ee to call me. 

Sincerely yours. 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
SI 0-1 10808-038 

1 g^ i-^ ^^J^^j . 

'• • <0 -

August 2,2011 j^'^'rThe Honorable Ray LaHood ,^^, ^^.^,,,j, , ^^ cxi^miK^ o= 

Secretary of Transportation SOUTHWEST INDIANA 

U.S. Department of I ransportauon ^^KI^^^I-^I 

400 7'" Street, SW., Washington DC 20590 ' '^' ' •-'••" ' ' " - ' ' 

Dear Secretary* LaHood: 

I am wTiting to express my organization's strong support for the Evansville Regional 

Airport's Small Community Air Serx-ice Development Grant (SCASDG) funding request. 

The Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana is the largest business association in 

the iri-state region ofSouthwest Indiana, Northwest Kentucky, and Southeast Illinois. 

Our Chamber represents the needs and interests of more than 1,600 member cornpanies. 

The tri-state region is an economic powerhouse: our region has annual retail sales of $7.4 

bilHon dollars, contains 10,154 square miles of land, which makes it larger than nine 

states, has a population of more than 822,000, is home to six U.S. Congressional districts, 

and boasts more than $24 billion dollars in personal income. We are also one of the most 

important manufacturing centers in the nation. 

In order to vigorously compete in the global marketplace, we need your help. The 

Evansville Regional Airport plays a key role in connecting our region to the rest of the 

nation, and the world. But for many years, our airport has been saddled with high 

average air fares. As a matter of fact, Evansville Regional Airport has the highest 

average air fares in IN, IL and KY, 40% above the regional average As of the end of the 

third quarter in 2010, Evansville's air fares averaged $226 each way, and $452 per round 

trip. Additionally, because we offer no STAR Alliance partners, wc often times do not 

show up on the international map for our foreign visitors. 

Everyone understands how critically important an airport is to developing a community's 

or region's economy. The aforementioned costly fares seriously hamper our ability to 

develop our economy and create the desirable, good paying jobs our citizens need and 

deserve. We have made great progress in our region in terms of laying a foundation for 

successfully competing in the global economy. We have strengthened our public schools, 

and are vising our public and private universities and colleges as economic catalysts and 

important partners to improve our workforce. We have enhanced our region's overall 

quality of life through a myriad of community development investments. We are 

upgrading our other means of moving people and material, including commencing the 

constnictJon of Interstate 69 linking Evansville to Indianapolis, and the greater northsouth international trade corridor connecting the United States with Canada and Mexico, 

and much more. But frankly^ our airport remains a weak link. We are losing business 

and pleasure travelers to other airports due to cost and availability factors. And 

companies looking to establish facilities in our region continually cite the cost of air 

-:^'-,,^..^,.^^.f^m:^^r^m• 

915.E, <lt*"SB».-
SIO-1 10808-038 

travel out of Evansville, and the lack of connectivity to other markets as a significant 

concern. 

Tl^ Evansville Regional Airport naust act to turing lower fares and more options to the 

region. Our airport officials have been in talks with airlines within the STAR alliance 

that upon entiy to our market would help bring down fares to our region, but also help us 

to show up on the international map. In order for a Star Alliance airline to take a risk in 

launching service to a new city in die current economic enviroiunent, it will require a 

revenue guarantee to offset potential losses during the start«up phase. The SCASDG 

would provide the Evansville Regional Airport with the seed capital necessary to entice a 

new carrier to bring new air service to our market. 

Thank you for your strong consideration of the Evansville Regional Airport's SCASDG 

funding request. We sincerely hope for a favorable decision fiom the Department of 

Transportation, and look forward to partnering with you on improving mr service to our 

region, and strengthening our regional economy. 

MatthewT. ^eadors 

President & CEO 

The Chamber of Commerce ofSouthwest Indiana (CCS WIN) 

Co: Doug Joest, Director, Evansville Regional Airport 

Evan Beck, Inmiediate Past Chairman, CCS WIN Board of Directors 

JeffDeig, Chairman, CCS WIN Board of Directors 

Kathy Briscoe, Chairman-elect, CCSWIN Board of Directors 

Greg Wathen, President/CEO, Economic Development Coalition ofSouthwest IN