U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

The Honorable Susan C. Fisher 

. N.C. House of Representatives 

16 W.Jones"Street, Room -1013 

Raleigh, NC 27601 

Dear Ms. Fisher: 

Assistant Secretary 

July 3, 2012 

...... 

1200 New Jersey Avenue. SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

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

the Asheville Regional Airport for a grant under the U.S. Department ofTransportati~n~s Small 

Community Air Service Development Program. The Secretary has requested that rr~spond 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 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 1 5, 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. l assure y.ow-that the 

. Department will give full and fair consideration to all proposals that have been properly tiled. 

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

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

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 

....... ____________ _ 
REPRESENTATIVE SUSAN C. FISHER 

I 14TH DISTRICT 

~ortft <!Iurnlimt ®eneruiJ\ssemhllJ 

~ous.e of ~presenfutiCte.s 

~tate 'pl.egisfa:fi(t.e ~1rilliing 

21tu~1s~. ~(!! 27601-1096 .•: ..... 

June 4, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood, Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

400 71h Street, SW Room l 0200 ' 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dea1· Secretary LaHood: 

-.. ·. 

···-r··.::;"·, 

I ~m pleased to write in strong support of the Asheville Regional Airport•s Small Community Air Service Development . . . .. Grant, which will allow for new and improved s~rvice in the western region of our state. Our region is growing, and 

enhanced air service is imperative. to the __ ec9nomic vitality of the area. Quality air se~o-vice aids .au a· ecenomy through · 

improved access for visitoa·s, tourism arid i~ important to business growth and retention~ . 

The western region has a noted connection to the· Denver market - both from a leisure and business travel perspective. 

We know that 5% of inbound travelers come from Colorado, and many. more from the west. Also, significant business 

development is occurring by Colorado and westem state-based businesses in the· Western North Carolina region. 

Enhanced air service to and from Denver and western states is a positive fit for the direction cif growth this region is 

experiencing. 

The Asheville· Rcgiorwl Airport has put togethe'i· a-:t\V9-fold plan to mitigate the rising air fares they arc experiencing due· 

t~ the loss of AirT1"ail Airways thi:; year"; The plan .t'ocuse-s on attracting another low-cost -3ir service provider to· serve the 

. Denver market, and potentially additional markets lost when AirTran w~s acquired. by Sou.thwest. Second, the plan 

enstues that sufficie~t marketing will occur. to support the new low-fare carrier's success in the WNC market, and· 

includes a focus on strengthening the.newly formed travel advisory group. 

~ . Having been a mtmber of the Regional_ Airport Board, this is a major concern to me. Anything that expands our ability 

to meet the needs of our individuals and business clients is of utmost importance. I wholeheartedly support this request. 

Thank you for your consideration of the Asheville Regional Airpot1's grant request. 

Sincerely, 

/ ~~ . . . 

Representative Susan Fisher 

NC House District 114 - Buncombe County 

----------