Friday, July 20, 2007
Public (?) Release from GCA
From AG's mailbox, which we post because we would, in fact, love direct service from ATL to Shanghai. Write from your business or fabricate a business from which to write:
¶ 1:10 PM
Dear ,
The Georgia China Alliance is making an effort to support Delta's bid of direct flight to China. Your help is very important. We are collecting support letters from businesses in Georgia by *MONDAY* *July 23rd*. If you are interested in joining us in this effort, please have the letter in your business letterhead and EMAIL them to "Breedlove, Jeff" <Jeff.Breedlove@senate.ga.gov > by the deadline.
Please see below for the letter template.
Thank you!
Georgia China Alliance
Rongrong Liu
Executive Director
Georgia China Alliance
http://www.georgiachina.com/
678.334.6136
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
June 21, 2007
The Honorable Mary E. Peters
Secretary of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
Washington, DC 20590
Dear Secretary Peters:
I am writing to you as an executive of *[/company name/]*, a Georgia company with business interests in China.
On January 19, 2007, Delta Air Lines announced its intent to apply for a direct passenger air service route between Atlanta and Shanghai, China.
As a company with operations in the Southeastern region of the U.S., this Atlanta-Shanghai passenger air route is an important next step for us to strengthen relationships between the Southeast and the People’s Republic of China, its companies and its people. While the Southeast region is among the fastest growing regions in the U.S. and one of China’s largest trading partners, it lacks a direct passenger air route with China. Furthermore, a direct passenger air route between Atlanta and Shanghai would generate an economic impact of more than $400 million annually for the Southeast.
*[/OPTIONAL/: /brief description of company’s interests in China/].*
I understand that the U.S. Department of Transportation is evaluating additional candidates for the 2008 designation; however, I am confident you will agree that the Atlanta hub and Delta Air Lines offer the best proposal for the designation (*Docket OST-2007-28567*). More passengers pass through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport than any other airport in the world—almost 85 million passengers in 2006. In addition, Atlanta is the world’s largest airline hub, with Delta offering direct service to over 150 U.S. markets.
I solicit the endorsement of the U.S. Department of Transportation for the designation of Delta Air Lines as the next U.S. carrier to serve China, with direct service from Atlanta to Shanghai beginning in 2008.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Comments:
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Er... Mebbe I'm missing something, but isn't this a question of pure economic interest? Can't Delta fly anywhere they durn well please? How did the USDOT get its sticky fingers into this sugarbowl?
Good question. For domestic routes, domestic airlines just bid against each other and the airport basically awards a berth to the highest bidder. But international routes require intergovernmental agreements on rules, security, etc ... and of course politics can get into it. A China deal is even crazier b/c the Chinese government and much of its industry are one. Thus, a Chinese airport does not award a berth to "Delta", the governmentairportmanagement awards a berth to the American government, for the American gov't to assign as they see fit. Somehow DOT/FAA got the job of assigning. They are supposed to award the route based on greatest good to US consumers/business. But with other countries, like most of the EU, we do have an open skies agreement so berths come closer to being given by bid. Likewise, foreign airlines can't just buy a berth at Hartsfield. The State Department, Homeland Security and who knows who else has to vet that stuff. Like, one zillion dollars won't buy Air Osama a Hartsfield berth if they're flying 70-year old Tupolevs and allow rabid dogs in the cabin.
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