The Honorable James Inhofe United States Senate 453 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510-3603 Phone: 202-224-4721 Fax: 202-228-0380 RE: ESSENTIAL AIR SERVICE TO PONCA CITY, OKLAHOMA Dear Senator Inhofe: We would like to formally object to the proposed elimination of essential air service in Ponca City, Oklahoma. Maintaining commercial air service is critical to our local economy and the economy of North Central Oklahoma. Ponca City is not served by an interstate highway and commercial air service has provided the critical transportation linkage necessary for our community to actively engage in commerce in an ever more competitive global economy. We currently have a significant number of high value passengers that go between the markets of Enid, Dallas and Denver, connecting to business locations throughout the world and providing significant business opportunities for our area. In addition, the people who work at our airport and the services provided by airport businesses rely upon our commercial service as the economic generator for this important job center. Ponca City has worked hard to rebuild our economy since the ConocoPhillips merger two years ago. We have seen a growth of local jobs that would likely be severely curtailed if air service were to be terminated. Air service to Ponca City is indeed "essential" and the benefits go far beyond the number of passengers using the carrier. The ability to attract wealth producing companies depends upon the provision of air service. These businesses are vital to reshaping our economy in the wake of the merger and they rely upon the ability to travel quickly and affordably. In addition, Oklahoma State University, which is served by our airport, has identified commercial air service as a critical component for its growth and the growth of our regional economy. Our community is working with Mesa Airlines to build our customer base and the recent trends indicate that these efforts will be successful. We strongly urge you to consider these positive customer trends and the impact to our local and regional economy and keep essential air service in Ponca City. Thank you in advance for your attention to this urgent matter.