Text of Senator Charles Schumer's Letter to Norman Mineta, US Department of Transportation

Dear Secretary Mineta:

I am writing to urge you to delay the Federal Aviation Administration's decision last week to maintain the current Essential Air Service schedule and provide northern New York communities with EAS subsidies only to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. As you know, the decision was made in favor of a proposal by Mesa Air that would provide regional air service from Pittsburgh and Albany, New York. In favor of maintaining the current schedule, I would urge you to allow New York's North Country a one-year trial period of service to Pittsburgh and Albany. The trial period would provide an opportunity for the region to prove that increased service would significantly increase the number of passengers.

The decision to provide Essential Air Service only to Pittsburgh leaves residents of the North Country without viable options for air travel and undercuts efforts to develop the region's economy. The Mesa Plan, which enjoyed broad support from local officials, gives North Country residents more service options while helping to attract new business and spur investment.

The Mesa proposal would provide better service than the current schedule being subsidized by the EAS program and would cost less than the schedule currently in place-$1.77 million, a sum that would be cheaper than the $1.9 million going to the current provider. Watertown currently shares an EAS subsidy with Ogdensburg and Massena to provide daily multi-stop flights to Pittsburgh.

The northern communities of New York have already lost thousands of local air travelers to Canadian airports in Montreal or Ottawa. This decrease continues to put state and federal grant eligibility for airport improvements at risk and negatively impacts the local economies. The Mesa proposal has energized area residents and businesses, and I am confident that it will benefit the entire area if it is adopted. It would allow the region to be more accessible and to foster business outside the area with local colleges and industries.

This decision is a huge blow to upstate communities who were counting on the expanded air travel. By offering the region a short period of time to prove that they can make a dual-destination EAS plan workable, you would be offering a chance to give a needed boost to New York's economy, and provide the communities of northern New York with accessible, reliable means of travel. I look forward to your expeditious review of this matter.

Sincerely,
Charles E. Schumer
United States Senator