Air Service to Small and Rural Communities: Hearing
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AIR SERVICE TO SMALL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES (113–69) HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION OF THE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION APRIL 30, 2014 Printed for the use of the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure ( Available online at: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/browse/ committee.action?chamber=house&committee=transportation U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE 87–701 PDF WASHINGTON : 2017 For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Publishing Office Internet: bookstore.gpo.gov Phone: toll free (866) 512–1800; DC area (202) 512–1800 Fax: (202) 512–2104 Mail: Stop IDCC, Washington, DC 20402–0001 VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 5011 Sfmt 5011 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania, Chairman DON YOUNG, Alaska NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee, Columbia Vice Chair JERROLD NADLER, New York JOHN L. MICA, Florida CORRINE BROWN, Florida FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas GARY G. MILLER, California ELIJAH E. CUMMINGS, Maryland SAM GRAVES, Missouri RICK LARSEN, Washington SHELLEY MOORE CAPITO, West Virginia MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan TIMOTHY H. BISHOP, New York DUNCAN HUNTER, California MICHAEL H. MICHAUD, Maine ERIC A. ‘‘RICK’’ CRAWFORD, Arkansas GRACE F. NAPOLITANO, California LOU BARLETTA, Pennsylvania DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas TIMOTHY J. WALZ, Minnesota LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana STEVE COHEN, Tennessee BOB GIBBS, Ohio ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland RICHARD L. HANNA, New York JOHN GARAMENDI, California DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida ANDRE´ CARSON, Indiana STEVE SOUTHERLAND, II, Florida JANICE HAHN, California JEFF DENHAM, California RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin ANN KIRKPATRICK, Arizona THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky DINA TITUS, Nevada STEVE DAINES, Montana SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York TOM RICE, South Carolina ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut MARKWAYNE MULLIN, Oklahoma LOIS FRANKEL, Florida ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois MARK SANFORD, South Carolina DAVID W. JOLLY, Florida SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION FRANK A. LOBIONDO, New Jersey, Chairman THOMAS E. PETRI, Wisconsin RICK LARSEN, Washington HOWARD COBLE, North Carolina PETER A. DEFAZIO, Oregon JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR., Tennessee EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas SAM GRAVES, Missouri MICHAEL E. CAPUANO, Massachusetts BLAKE FARENTHOLD, Texas DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana STEVE COHEN, Tennessee PATRICK MEEHAN, Pennsylvania ANDRE´ CARSON, Indiana RICHARD L. HANNA, New York RICHARD M. NOLAN, Minnesota DANIEL WEBSTER, Florida DINA TITUS, Nevada JEFF DENHAM, California SEAN PATRICK MALONEY, New York REID J. RIBBLE, Wisconsin CHERI BUSTOS, Illinois THOMAS MASSIE, Kentucky CORRINE BROWN, Florida STEVE DAINES, Montana ELIZABETH H. ESTY, Connecticut ROGER WILLIAMS, Texas NICK J. RAHALL, II, West Virginia MARK MEADOWS, North Carolina (Ex Officio) RODNEY DAVIS, Illinois, Vice Chair BILL SHUSTER, Pennsylvania (Ex Officio) (II) VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN CONTENTS Page Summary of Subject Matter .................................................................................... iv TESTIMONY Hon. Susan L. Kurland, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, U.S. Department of Transportation ...................................................... 5 Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D., Director, Physical Infrastructure Issues, U.S. Government Accountability Office ...................................................................... 5 Captain Lee Moak, president, Air Line Pilots Association, International .......... 5 Bryan K. Bedford, chairman, president and chief executive officer, Republic Airways ................................................................................................................. 5 Dan E. Mann, AAE, executive director, Columbia Metropolitan Airport ........... 5 Brian L. Sprenger, airport director, Bozeman Yellowstone International Air- port ........................................................................................................................ 5 PREPARED STATEMENT SUBMITTED BY MEMBER OF CONGRESS Hon. Elizabeth H. Esty, of Connecticut ................................................................. 39 PREPARED STATEMENTS SUBMITTED BY WITNESSES Hon. Susan L. Kurland ........................................................................................... 40 Gerald L. Dillingham, Ph.D. ................................................................................... 49 Captain Lee Moak ................................................................................................... 76 Bryan K. Bedford ..................................................................................................... 86 Dan E. Mann, AAE .................................................................................................. 102 Brian L. Sprenger .................................................................................................... 107 SUBMISSIONS FOR THE RECORD Hon. Richard M. Nolan, a Representative in Congress from the State of Minnesota, request to submit the following items into the record: Robert W. Anderson, mayor, city of International Falls, Minnesota, letter to Hon. Frank A. LoBiondo, a Representative in Congress from the State of New Jersey, April 30, 2014 ............................................................ 21 James L. Oberstar, Member of Congress from 1975–2011, letter to Hon. Anthony Foxx, Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation, April 28, 2014 .......................................................................................................... 23 ADDITIONS TO THE RECORD Captain Keith Wilson, president, Allied Pilots Association, and Captain Bob Coffman, chairman, Government Affairs Committee, Allied Pilots Associa- tion; joint written statement ............................................................................... 113 Coalition of Airline Pilots Associations, written statement ................................. 114 Craig A. Moffatt, executive board president, Teamsters Local Union No. 357, written statement ................................................................................................. 120 Families of Continental flight 3407, written statement ....................................... 124 Hon. Blake Farenthold, a Representative in Congress from the State of Texas, request to submit a letter from D. Dale Fowler, CEcD, president, Victoria Economic Development Corporation, April 29, 2014 ......................................... 129 (III) VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 5904 Sfmt 5904 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN iv VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 1 here 87701.001 v VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 2 here 87701.002 vi VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 3 here 87701.003 vii VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 4 here 87701.004 viii VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 5 here 87701.005 ix VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 6 here 87701.006 x VerDate Aug 31 2005 12:17 Jan 05, 2017 Jkt 000000 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6602 Sfmt 6602 P:\HEARINGS\113\AV\4-30-1~1\87701.TXT JEAN Insert offset folio 7 here 87701.007 AIR SERVICE TO SMALL AND RURAL COMMUNITIES WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:02 a.m. in Room 2167, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Frank A. LoBiondo (Chairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Mr. LOBIONDO. Good morning. The subcommittee will come to order. Before we get started, Mr. Larsen and I would like to recognize the Colgan Air families for being here. We want to thank you for your advocacy, we want to thank you for being involved and mak- ing a difference. And we are very pleased that you are here today. I ask unanimous consent that Members not on the subcommittee be permitted to sit with the subcommittee at today’s hearing to offer testimony and to ask questions. [No response.] Mr. LOBIONDO. Without objection, so ordered. Today we look forward to hearing from the Department of Trans- portation, the Government Accountability Office, and industry stakeholders on an important topic to our country: air service to small and rural communities. Airports are vital elements of our