|
|
Enron Mail |
This afternoon, officials from Delta Airlines came in to meet with me to
give formal notice that they will be ceasing service from Portland to Narita and Nagoya Japan, as well as several other US cities as of April 1, 2001. They will have 15 flights a day to 5 cities, down from 24 flights a day to 12 cities. Included in the cut list are flights to San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and New York. Following is the statement I am releasing to the media today about my disappointment about the situation this leaves us in and my plans to look for alternate carriers. To be removed from the "E-Katz" distribution list, simply reply to this e-mail with your request. If you have multiple e-mail addresses you use, please include a name and/or company, otherwise we may not be able to locate the correct entry to remove. For more information on the Katz administration, visit our website at http://www.ci.portland.or.us/mayor. "I am very disappointed by today's announcement. This is a big loss for Portland, and it will have a lasting effect on our economy. "Perhaps because of the current strong economy, Portlanders have consistently rated efforts to 'grow as an international city' lowest on their list of priorities. Still, as Mayor I worked long and hard with Delta over the last ten years and fought for their routes to Osaka and Fukuoka, because I felt strongly that Portland's future was in being an international city. Portland will not continue to thrive if we accept doing business only within the confines of our city limits. With the high tech economy of today and the reach of the internet, we must reach across borders. "That's why I've led efforts to create business strategies -- Internationalizing Greater Portland I & II -- which focused on air and trade connections because our business partners are no longer just on the other side of town, or even the other side of the state. We are competing in markets around the world, and with Delta's decision we are losing an important link to our partners and friends in Asia. We also stand to lose connections to major cities right here in the U.S. "While I understand the economics of this decision -- the unexpected downturn in the Asian economy, the continuing problems with the INS -- I have learned something from our Asian partners over the years and that is the importance of investing in relationships. "Next week we will open the finest classical Chinese garden outside of China. Our goal is to create an atmosphere in Portland where people from other countries feel comfortable doing business with us because we honor their culture. "This sets us back nearly 15 years -- 15 years of promoting Portland to Asian cities from Sapporo to Seoul. My mission now is to work hard to ensure it doesn't take us that long to recover. "I will be working with our partners in the business community, the Port, our congressional delegation, and the Governor's office to look at alternative providers for Asian service. We may have opportunities because of the state of flux in the airlines industry. I will also be asking for more local support for our international efforts. I have met with representatives from other cities, and have been looking at the Seattle and Amsterdam models of promoting their cities internationally. "Further, I will also be pushing Delta to re-examine its New York route. This is the 12th largest flight out of PDX, carrying 200,000 people annually. It's a route critical to our major retailers and financial institutions."
|