| Congressman Faleomavaega announced today that the United
States Postal Service has signed a contractual agreement with Evergreen
Aviation to provide weekly mail service to American Samoa. The service
will begin June 22, 2000.
Congressman Faleomavaega noted that his office has received numerous
constituent complaints about the mail delays. As a result of constituent
concerns, Congressman Faleomavaega engaged in lengthy discussions with
the United States Postal Service.
“The U.S. Postal Service is very aware of its responsibility to
provide mail to the Territory in a timely way,” Congressman Faleomavaega
said. “But with the loss of Kitty Hawk and Hawaiian Air’s refusal to sign
any kind of contractual agreement, the Postal Service has struggled to
live up to its responsibilities.”
“I am pleased that Evergreen and the U.S. Postal Service have come
to terms on this matter. I want to thank David Johnson of Evergreen
Aviation and the United States Postal Service for working through the details
of this agreement,” Congressman Faleomavaega said. “Hopefully this
will ease the backlog of mail so that future deliveries can be made in
a timely and efficient manner.”
According to the U.S. Postal Service, Hawaiian Air will still be
delivering some mail to the Territory. However, the Postal Service
has made it clear that no contractual agreement exists between USPS and
Hawaiian Air. “By law, it’s passengers first and luggage second,”
Congressman Faleomavaega said. “If there’s any room left, then Hawaiian
Air will take the mail.”
“Let’s hope the new agreement between USPS and Evergreen Aviation
will be the beginning of a long and welcome relationship,” Faleomavaega
said. “I welcome Evergreen Aviation to American Samoa and thank the
U.S. Postal Service for their help in addressing our concerns.” |
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