U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

Of Transportation 

The Honorable Roger F. Wicker 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Wicker: 

1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter supporting the application submitted by the Meridian Regional Airport 

for a grant under the U.S. Department of Transportation's Small Community Air Service 

Development Program. 

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 four 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 June 24, the Department issued an order setting a deadline of July 26 for applications. As 

these grant requests are pending before the Department, I cannot comment on the merits of any 

particular proposal. I assure you that the Department will give full and fair consideration to all 

proposals that have been properly filed. 

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

DOT-OST-2013-0120 as a contact outside the record of this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this program. 

Sincerely yours, 

iate Director 

Small Co munity Air Servi e Development 
ROGER F. WICKER 

MISSISSIPPI 

ARMED SERVICES 

BANKING, HOUSING, AND URBAN AFFAIRS 

COMMERCE, SCIENCE AND TRANSPORTATION 

VETERANS' AFFAIRS 

CJanitcd ~tatcs ~cnatc 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

U.S. Department ofTransporation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590-0001 

Dear Anthony, 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510 

August 5, 2013 

SUITE 555 

DIRKSEN SENATE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510 

(202) 224-6253 

www.wicker.senate.gov 

I would like to express my support for Meridian Regional Airport's application for a 

Small Community Air Service Develbpifieiit (SCASD) grant. . ' ~ '. 'I ' 

After decades of service, Delta Airlines ceased their operations at several cities in my 

home state of Mississippi last September. A new carrier, Silver Airways, currently is serving 

three of these airports without any code-sharing or frequent flyer program support. 

. .. The Meridian Regional Airport joined with the Hattiesburg-Laurel Airport and the 

Greenville Mid-Delta-Airport to form a consortium to apply for the 2013 Community Air Service 

'Devdopment grant. A $120,000 grant from the Department of Transportation would allow these 

airports to expand marketing and promotion of their new local air service. Access to local air 

transportation is important to the economic development and growth of each of these cities. A 

SCASD grant would provide much needed funding to support each of these regional airports and 

increase familiarity of the new carrier and flight availability. 

I hope that you will give Meridian Regional Airport's application every consideration. 

Should additional informatiotl be required from my office, please contact Jennifer Schmidt ofmy 

staff at (228) 604-2383. 

With best wishes, t arli · 

RFVV/'s .. . J ·. CC: Ms. Brook~Chapman 

P.O. Box 385 

HERNANDO, MS 38632 

(662) 429-1002 .. 

P.O. Box 3T:77 

TUPELO, MS 38803 

(662)'844-5010 

. :·. 

Sincerely yours, 

') . 

501 EAST COURT STREET, SUITE 3.500 

JACKSON, MS39201 

• 

(601) 965-4644 , .. 

. 

. . 

452 COURTHOUSE ROAD, SUITE F 

. GULFPORT, MS 39507 

(228) 604-2383 

3118 PASCAGOULA STREET, SUITE 179 

PASCAGOULA, MS 39567 

(228) 762-5400