700 POPLAR STREET

ROBERT A.B. REICHERT

MAYOR

OFFICE OF THE MAYOR

P.O. Box 247

MACON, GEORGIA 312020247

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February 11, 2013

(478) 7517170 FAX (478) 7517931

Mr. Scott Faulk Essential Air Service Division Office of Aviation Analysis U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington DC 20590 Dear Mr. Faulk:

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We recently reviewed proposals submitted to the Department of Transportation in response to their Request for Proposal for Essential Air Service at Middle Georgia Regional Airport. After careful analysis, we believe Silver Airways is best suited to meet the needs of the Middle Georgia Region. Below you will find several factors that distinguished their submittal from others. Silver Airways offer of non-stop service to Orlando International and Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson places the Middle Georgia Regional Airport in the center of a busy transportation route. Connecting two large cities should provide route stability that is more likely to sustain long-term demand. In addition, we believe this may be attractive to local business owners and citizens by providing multiple options to enter the national air transportation system. Also, Silver Airways has sufficient seating capacity to obtain a historical number of enplanements that the Middle Georgia Region is capable of supporting, and we understand that all flights will either originate or terminate in Macon, resulting in adequate capacity for local passengers. The proposed flights could potentially carry more than 20,000 passengers, exceeding projections from other bidders. Silver Airways provides Middle Georgia Regional Airport the opportunity to rebuild passenger counts to a level that will create additional opportunities to participate in the FAA's Capital Improvement Program thus strengthening not just commercial air service but the entire airport.

Mr. Scott Faulk Essential Air Service Division Office of Aviation Analysis U.S. Department of Transportation February 11, 2013

Silver Airways has a reputation of securing and successfully operating in essential air service markets around the country, offers a large number of connections with major carriers, and has interline agreements with Delta and other airlines. Silver Airway's business model shows potential for expansion which would benefit the Middle Georgia Region. We are looking forward to working with the Department of Transportation's selection, and we are optimistic about the possibilities. We thank the Department of Transportation for their consideration and hope they find these comments useful in their selection process.

Robert A. B. Reichert RABR/ns