[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 64 (Thursday, May 15, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S4581]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          FIELD HEARING ON INTRASTATE AIR SERVICE IN COLORADO

  Mr. CAMPBELL. Mr. President, today I want to call my colleagues' 
attention to an important issue facing the Western Slope of my home 
State of Colorado; namely, the lack of quality and reliable air 
service.
  I have long been concerned about this problem facing the residents 
and the business community in western Colorado. I have received 
hundreds of complaints from constituents up and down the Western Slope 
and have experienced many of these problems myself. For example, on 
numerous occasions I have found myself waiting for a delayed flight for 
several hours only to find out later on that the flight had been 
canceled. On one occasion, the pilot showed up only to announce that he 
was not certified to fly the plane.
  To address this issue, I held a field hearing on Wednesday, April 2, 
in Grand Junction, CO, to hear testimony firsthand from citizens and 
representatives of the business community. Witnesses at the hearing 
included representatives from the airlines industry, consumers as well 
as the business community.
  The testimony presented reflected the deep concern among business 
leaders and consumers in western Colorado about the lack of adequate 
air service. Many of the witnesses testified to the lack of competition 
in air service in western Colorado after deregulation. They further 
stressed that their concerns center around late arrivals, canceled 
flights, discontinuation of service, over booked flights, inadequate 
aircraft that cannot handle passenger baggage, inadequate safety 
procedures, inconvenient schedules and costs and high turnover of 
pilots.
  Because of the importance of this testimony, I wrote to the acting 
administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, Mr. Barry 
Valentine, on April 18, requesting the FAA's review of this material 
and requested a report from the FAA on ways in which air service can be 
improved on the Western Slope and how the witnesses' concerns can be 
addressed. I also provided a complete set of this testimony to the 
Senate Aviation Subcommittee, so it can be used in future subcommittee 
work on commuter air service.
  For the benefit of my colleagues, I ask unanimous consent that a copy 
of the witness list be printed in the Record following my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER, without objection, it is so ordered.
  (See exhibit 1.)
  Mr. CAMPBELL. I am more concerned now than ever about the quality of 
air service in Colorado, and I look forward to working with my 
colleagues on improving air service in this important region of our 
country.

                               Exhibit 1


                list of witnesses present at the hearing

       Mr. Greg Walcher, President of Club 20.
       Mr. Benard Buescher, Colorado Transportation Commissioner.
       Mr. John Frew, President and CEO of Colorado Ski Country 
     U.S.A.
       Mr. Jamie Hamilton, Vice President of the Grand Junction 
     Chamber of Commerce.
       Mr. J.J. Johnston, Executive Director of the Mesa County 
     Economic Development Council.
       Ms. Debbie Kovalik, Executive Director of the Grand 
     Junction Visitor Bureau.
       Mr. Mark Berumen, Governmental Affairs Coordinator for 
     Frontier Airlines.
       Mr. Cody Ddiekroger. Founder and President of Maverick 
     Airlines.
       Mr. Don Schreiber, Vice President of Governmental Relations 
     for Mesa Air Group.
       Mr. Dave Logan, Partner, Park Avenue Travel Agency.
       Ms. Jo Saul, Owner, Jo's Travel Source in Durango.
       Ms. Cindy Stanfield, Owner, the Travel Connection Agency in 
     Grand Junction.

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