I am filing my concern over the lack of due notification of hearing offered to mid

coast Maine residents by the August Airport Commission prior to making its decision to change carriers serving the airport.

I live about 45 miles east of Augusta in the co astal community of Rockport. Our closest airport is in Owl's Head (RKD) and is served by Cape Air. When the Knox County Commissioners held hearings a couple of years ago about the change of carriers at the Knox County Regional Airport, I spoke out against giving the contract to Cape Air. Unfortunately, the Commissioners decided to award the contract to Cape Air and I understand they are renewing it this year. Why did I oppose the award to Cape Air? I fly a lot for my work and I need reliable large plane service to make my connections out

of Logan in Boston. Cape Air flies 9

- seat Cessnas which are workable for resort areas with high summer traffic, but in the off season they are edgy and less than reliable and uncomfortable, and in my opinion on the verg e of being unsafe for high volume passenger service. I also opposed the change as I am an elite flyer with USAir and like being able to connect in Terminal B at Logan without a hassle. However, more importantly, I can rely on a legacy carrier like USAir t o cover me in the event of flight disruptions by ensuring that I will make my connections on the out

- bound and get me

home on the return

-- something that Cape Air, from my experience flying them a few
times, has failed to do. My opposition to the change at Knox County Airport did not

have an effect and we are now saddled with second rate service. However, being a resort area, I can understand why we have this type of service... you get what you pay

for!

Augusta, Maine, on the other hand is another issu e. Since the switch to Cape Air at RKD, I have been driving the 45 miles to August to make my connections on USAir to

Boston. I did this for several reasons, primary of which is the safety and comfort of the

SAAB 340s that USAir uses for that route. I a lso do so as it relieves me of much hassles in Logan over having to change terminals when I connect to my cross

- country or overseas flights ( and not worrying about my luggage not making it into the Cessnas). That is my personal concern over the proposed change at Augusta

- and I would have laid this out at the hearings if I had been given notice that they were being

held.

My general concern is that due process was not followed in informing people most affected by the Augusta Airport Commission's decisi on

- the frequent flyers who use the airport. It is analogous to a highway commission deciding to eliminate a interchange on a highway without consulting with the affected highway users.

I did send a letter to the Governor about my concerns after fin ding out that a decision was to be made without formal notification of all users of the hearings and laid out a number of more general concerns, which I have repeated below.

I am in opposition to Cape Air being awarded the contract and ask that DOT give due consideration to the consumer's perspective about what may occur in Augusta. If nothing else, I ask the airport to comply with ADA requirements andforce Cape Air to use larger and accessible aircraft or renew the USAir contract

and its history of pro viding accommodations to flyers with disabilities

.

M. Janicki

7 Reflection Pond Drive Rockport, ME 04856

cell 1 518 421 3520

.......................................

"I live in Rockport and have gone through the experience with the Owl's Head Airport switching over to Cape Air a couple of years ago. At the time, I spoke out against the Knox County Airport Commission's decision to switch to Cape Air from USAir. During the first year after the switch, I used Cape Air a number of times and finally decide d to change my flying and go out of Augusta. Obviously, the 15 mile drive to Owl's Head is much more convenient, but Augusta at least has a large engine plane with what I would consider minimal safety features and greater reliability from a legacy carrier . The fact that I'd rather drive the extra hour to Augusta to not use Cape Air must tell you something in itself.

I fly often, both domestically and international and starting and ending my extensive travel in a Cessna is not my idea of a joyful experien ce. Let me lay out why I think the Augusta Airport Commission's decision to go with Cape Air is a bad idea.

1. Foremost, Cape Air does not offer ADA complaint service. Last year I had a colleague from overseas who has a disability visit us and she was unable to get to Rockport via Cape Air. With Augusta nearby, at least someone with a significant disability in the Mid

- Coast region has an option if USAir continues to provide service. If you approve Cape Air, that option will be gone. The only option w ill then be a lengthy

drive to Portland. Our state capitol should be an example of ADA compliance and not a setting that disregards it.

2. Secondly, the protection offered by a legacy carrier, such has USAir, is invaluable to anyone who flies frequentl y. Several times, when using Cape Air, between Owl's Head and Boston, I was stranded because of their erratic flight schedules and lack of back

- up for canceled flights. A case in point, is when I was returning from Singapore last year and found that my f light home on Cape Air was canceled and I had no way to get from

Boston to the mid

- Coast by air. I asked the Cape Air station person at Logan for a reasonable accommodation, as I was just off an international flight and quite tired. I asked that they 'Ru le 240' me over to USAir so I could be delivered to Augusta where I could arrange for a ride home to Rockport. The outcome was 'nada'

- I ended up having to buy a new ticket on USAir to get to Augusta.

3. Third, is the safety factor. While the plane fr om Owl's Head to Boston is mostly over water and always a roll of the dice, granted the flights from Augusta will be less perilous. However, there is still the issue of a single pilot and lack of security on the plane which protects the pilot from an erra nt passenger. There is also the equipment

factor. On a rainy night flight back from Boston last year, I spent most of the timestuffing tissues in the door frame next to my seat to prevent from getting wet. It was not

a pleasant flight.

4. Fourth, Ca pe Air lacks the common courtesy to treat passengers as someone paying to be transported and not to be abused. Many times their plane has landed in Boston and in inclement weather we passengers are forced to stand outside by the plane until all the baggag e is removed from the wings

- even if we do not have any checked baggage. This means standing in open rain or snow without the courtesy of being given an umbrella or permitted to quickly enter the terminal building.

5. For casual flyer, and one who may not really care about their comfort or safety, Cape Air is suitable, but to another who has to fly for their living, having the Saab 340

- B's at Augusta is a joy. There is leg room, a reasonable seat, safety with two pilots and an
attendant, and size when the weather is inclement.

Those are my reasons why Cape Air is not the airline to bring into Augusta from a flyer's perspective.

From an economic perspective, if Augusta is trying to sell itself as a attraction for new business, one cannot serious gai n the attention of corporations or businesses when they find out the City is only served by 9 passenger Cessna 402s.

Further, much has been made by the Augusta Airport Commission about Cape Air's success in Owl's Head with its passenger loads. Comparin g Owl's Head with Augusta is like comparing apples and oranges. Owl's Head is seasonal and has many people using it who are not year

- round frequent flyers between it and Boston. The load factor increase cited by Cape Air and the Owl's Head airport manage r is an artifact

and reflection of the Mid

- Coast location where vacationers and 'summer people' come. For those of us who live here year around, we fly for a different reason. Given reasonable fares out of Augusta on sizable aircraft I would predict the load factors will increase significantly. Certainly, if USAir retains competitive fares from Augusta, I

- and I predict countless others

- will abandon the long drive to Portland's airport.

I understand that my voice is not the only one you are hearing in opposition to the decision to have Cape Air come to Augusta. I would hope that you listen those our

voices

-- as consumers

-- and come down on the side of the users of the airport.

M. Janicki