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MAYOR'S OFFICE | Matt Bemrich, Mayor | Oavid R. Fierke, City Manager 

November 14,2011 "^ '-'-^SJ 

"j> '^""--- ^ H —' 

Dennis J. DeVany, Chief ^^^ k ^ 

EAS & Domestic Analysis Division ^ '"^ 

Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

RE: ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE REQUEST FOR COMMENTS 

Order 2011-9-5 Docket DOT-OST-2001-10682 

Dear Mr. DeVany, 

As Mayor, I am pleased to convey that our City Council and City Administration endorses the 

proposal submitted by Great Lakes Aviation, Ltd. 

Given the increases in our enplanements after Delta's improvements in June 2010,1 would like 

to request that Great Lakes seriously consider providing our community with four daily flights, 

instead of three, which can accommodate for the increases in passengers utilizing our airport. 

In addition, I would like to express how important it is to maintain competitive fares to keep the 

passengers choosing to fly from Fort Dodge. Keeping cancelations to a minimum with "ontime" arrivals and departures is important to the people who chose to use the airport. When the 

service is not professional, reliable, or competitive, the customer equates that to the Fort Dodge 

Regional Airport as a whole and not the airline who provides the service. 

The unprecedented cooperation between Delta and Great Lakes has resulted in a product which 

will provide our region with seamless worldwide connectivity by offering interline and ticketing 

arrangements with Delta Airlines. Keeping the direct flights and a desirable time schedule is a 

vital component to the utilization of the EAS air service program. 

Businesses and residents in Fort Dodge, Iowa, rely heavily on the Fort Dodge Regional Airport 

for commercial and private air service. Fort Dodge has a number of very significant businesses 

in the region that sell their products throughout the United States and internationally. It is 

critical that these businesses have efficient transportation for their employees, customers and 

management. 
• Nestle-Purina, Boehringer-lngelheim, Georgia Pacific, Certainteed, Trinity Regional IVledical 

Center, Iowa Central Community College, Silgan, C&.S Products are some of the international 

companies that rely on the Fort Dodge Regional Airport. 

• In addition, Cargill, the world's largest grain company, recently announced that it will locate a 

plant in Fort Dodge. This multi-national company's sales are world- wide, and it is essential that 

Fort Dodge be able to provide air service for not only Cargill, but for the additional business that 

will be generated as a result of Cargill being in Fort Dodge. 

• It is estimated that Cargill alone will use 150,000 bushels of corn per day. At the current price of 

$7.00 per bushel, that will be an additional $1,050,000 injected into our local economy each 

day. We must have an airport that will provide service to the region in order to support this 

growth. 

• Fort Dodge is an agricultural, industrial, retail, educational and medical hub for northwest Iowa. 

The closest large airport is located in Des iVloines, over 100 miles from Fort Dodge. There is also 

an airport in Sioux City, Iowa, but that is over 130 miles from Fort Dodge. The Fort Dodge 

Regional Airport serves a large geographical area and must continue to do so. 

I strongly support the Federal Essential Air Service Program, designed to ensure that rural areas 

have a link to the national transportation system. It is absolutely necessary that Fort Dodge 

maintain its connection to the middle and end markets of these products, both nationally and 

internationally. 

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the proposals regarding the futiu:e of our air 

service. 

Respectfully, 

Mayor Matt Bemrich 

Municipal Building | 819 1st Avenue South | Fort Dodge, lA 50501 I Phone: 515.573.7144 | Fax: 515.573.5751 

Email: mbemrich@mchsi.com