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06/14/04 M0N 13:57 FAX 541 682 6838 EUGENE AIRPORT ..~ ATTACHMENT A est ' February ]3, 2003 'F£8 1 8 2003 Mr. Jim Carlson City Manager Pro Tem : City of Eugene 777 Pearl Street · ' Eugene, OK 974o~ Dear Mr. Carlsom My name is Steve Dwiggln.~ and I am the Ma.n. ager Airport Affairs for SkyWest Airlines, wMch operates as United Express at the. Eugene Airport. In this capacity I work with airport administrations-and other airlines, to" ensure airports are operated at the Mghest standard for the most reasonable cos~ poss~le~ Like I~n Stevens at Horizon Air, I have worked with the Eugene airport administration for many' years and have become 'increasingly concerned as the rates and charges have escalated year ove~ year. United Airlines departure from Eugene has exacerbated the problem with the airport proposing' rates and charges at levels seen at much larger airports. The proposed $3.oo+ landing feeis on a magnitude 'with that charged at Seattle/Tacoma and is even Mgher than Portland's. The airline industry continues to ask airports to control and where possible decrease costs, as we are being forced to do to stay in business. However, SkyWest wants to emphasize that safety and security issues are not negotiable and must never be compromised in the name of control!~ng costs. At Eugene, four areas continue to 'dominate our negotiations for possible cost reductions. They are l) Admini._e~a. tion; 2) Securi~, 3) ARFF; and 4) C~ntral · Service Allocation. As we have reviewed: the airport', s financial budgets, these categories have seen extraordinary increases. I am convinced that the Airport Manager has made .the tough decisions necessary to reduce expenses in the Administration and Security categorie~ while mainlining viability in each area. I understand that ARFF and Central Service 'AllOCation charges are areas under y0ur juri:s~.-efi.-on.. ' What is of particular' concern to the airlines year'after year is the ever-inereaMng costs of ARFF, It is my understanding that the proposed ARFF in~, as reflected in the landing fee, will make Eugene one 'of the most expensive compared to airports of similar si~. In the industry's current financial crisis I would Suggest that it is time to look at ways to lower thi.~ cost component without compromising r~rviee or safety. The airlines encourage you ~o work with the Airport Manager to find ways to deliver ARFF services at a cost and effi¢ienc~ which wil. 1 return the landing fee to industry standards while maintaining the required servie~ levels. ~4~/~outh R/wr Road St. G~orb~ Utah 8,179O