Schumer Urges Southwest Airlines to Establish New Link Between New York'S "Tech Valley" and California'S "Silicon Valley"

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer urged Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly to establish direct air service from Albany International Airport to Denver International Airport, opening up a new pathway to make it easier for New York's "Tech Valley" businesses to travel to California's "Silicon Valley". Schumer notes that companies like GlobalFoundries, IBM and institutions such as SEMATECH and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) have existing relationships with Silicon Valley, and stand to benefit from increased affordable access to the region. SEMATECH's research consortium produces half of the world's computer chips and many of its members, including HP and Intel, are headquartered in Silicon Valley. GlobalFoundries, currently in the midst of building the largest and most advanced chip fabrication facility in the world in Malta, NY is headquartered in Milpitas, CA, and the CNSE's groundbreaking research draws scientists and researchers from tech hot spots around the world, including Silicon Valley.

""Tech Valley' is one of the fastest growing tech centers in the country, with new buildings going up and new jobs being created at a breakneck speed," said Schumer. "We need to establish a new and affordable link through the air to Silicon Valley so that we can build upon and expand this tremendous progress. I am confident that direct service from Albany to the major Southwest hub in Denver will help forge a direct connection between Tech Valley and Silicon Valley on the West Coast. This would be a huge boost to all of the tech companies doing cutting-edge work in the Capital Region and Hudson Valley, and I'm going to do all I can to make these flights a reality."

Currently, Denver is the tenth most frequented destination by Capital Region flyers. This amounts to 55,260 passengers per year. Current Southwest flyers from Albany to San Jose face flight times of 8.5 to 11 hours with an average of two stops on any available flight.

A copy of Senator Schumer's letter to Southwest CEO Gary Kelly is below:

Mr. Gary C. Kelly

Chairman of the Board, President & Chief Executive Officer

P.O. Box 36611

2702 Love Field Drive

Dallas, TX 75235

March 15, 2011

Dear Mr. Kelly,

I write to ask you to actively explore offering daily direct roundtrip air service between Albany and the Denver hub in order to connect New York's burgeoning Tech Valley business community with its counterpart in Silicon Valley. In addition to linking Capital Region travelers to this important western hub, direct flight would open up an improved connection between New York's "Tech Valley" and California's "Silicon Valley." This exciting prospect would further enhance the growing economic connection between the country's two high tech regions and help spur even closer ties. I write to Southwest Airlines specifically because you have a history of recognizing and connecting high tech regions of the country, recently announcing roundtrip service between San Jose and Austin. With important hubs in both Albany and Denver, I am confident that more direct air service between Albany International Airport and Denver International Airport would uphold Southwest Airlines' commitment to excellent service and show tremendous foresight.

Let me explain how "Tech Valley" and "Silicon Valley" are connected today. The Capital Region is home to SEMATECH, GlobalFoundries, and the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE). In other words, we have the Derek Jeter, Jorge Posada, and Mariano Rivera of the chip manufacturing industry in New York today. SEMATECH, a research consortium whose members produce 50 percent of world's computer chips, has moved from Austin, Texas to Albany. Many of its members, such as HP and Intel, are headquartered in Silicon Valley. GlobalFoundries is building the largest and most advance semiconductor chip fabrication facility in the world in the Capital Region and their corporate headquarters is in Milpitas, CA. IBM, of course, is based in New York. CNSE has the world's only university-based 300mm and 450mm wafer research and development facility. CNSE's Albany NanoTech complex hosts the world's leading nanotechnology companies including IBM, SEMATECH, GlobalFoundries, Intel, Toshiba, ASML, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron, and Novellus, all of which have facilities in Silicon Valley as well. These are just a few great examples of how Tech Valley and Silicon Valley are already tied together and they demonstrate the potential benefits to our local economy, as well as Southwest Airlines, if a flights between Albany and Denver were established.

This is an excellent time for you to consider daily direct roundtrip air service between Albany and Denver. As Tech Valley grows in prominence, these flights will become the new "Nerd Bird," in much the same way that Austin to San Jose has been dubbed in the past. The future is very bright in both regions and this commitment would certainly make Southwest Airlines the go-to airline for America's high tech industry.

Sincerely,

Charles E. Schumer

United States Senator

Source