Want to see commercial airline service in Bishop? You can help!

13 Aug Want to see commercial airline service in Bishop? You can help!

Here is a template to use:

My letter:

 

To Whom It May Concern,

I would like to add my voice in support of commercial air service at the Bishop Airport. I am a local business owner and manager for two small businesses in the Downtown Core, Sage To Summit and Sierra Mountain Guides. In our businesses we regularly travel to trade shows, training and development events, and to guiding venues outside of the home range. Having a viable commercial airport in Bishop would significantly increase safety and efficiency in our business operations, by eliminating long drives, in mountainous terrain. Due to the geography and location, the Mammoth-Yosemite Airport is far too sensitive to delay and cancellation for mountain weather conditions to be a safe, reliable, and cost effective option, especially for long, interconnecting flights, and it offers very limited service options. As I am sure you are aware, the Ridgecrest-Inyokern Airport has closed, so this is no longer a possible alternative. We are left with a minimum of 4.5 hours of driving by car (as there is no railway or reasonable shuttle service) to one of 3 major airports. This makes Bishop one of the most remote places in the entire US, and undoubtedly the most difficult to get to and from relative to the number of people that live in and visit this amazing region.

 

Increasing access to visitation of the Eastern Sierra through Bishop will spark an economic boost that will foster positive change for this area. Bishop is a premiere destination for our customers and clientele from around the globe. Commercial flights to Bishop will cause an economic ripple effect, leading to infusion of commerce for local businesses and much needed revenue for the town. There will be an increase in demand for tourist-related services, promoting the development of new business opportunities and increasing the availability of local jobs.

 

Without a commercial airport in Bishop, many people simply aren’t willing or able to risk their safety and severe inconvenience to drive great distances or fly to the area only to be turned around at the airport or even mid-air to return to their point of origin. These events are tragically common and they literally can ruin an entire vacation plan. They severely impact anyone who plans to use our mountain guiding services on pre-scheduled and reserved days.  The limited schedule often requires an overnight stay in Los Angeles or the San Francisco Bay Area, which can add significant costs and inconvenience. As result most people prefer to drive 4-6+ hours than to make this flight to/from Mammoth. Many people just can’t physically make such a long drive. This naturally selects against retired baby boomers and other aging members of the nation’s populations that have time and financial resources to visit the region and contribute to the local Eastern Sierra economy. The pressure to drive to come here causes people accept more risk to themselves and others on the highways during a long and tiresome journey.

 

Thank you for your consideration of these points and I sincerely hope to see commercial air service fly into Bishop in the near future.

 

Best regards,