Dear editor,Thanks to Ms. de Silva for pointing out how valuable the new airport marketing materials are, the smoking good deal from Cossette (“they were not the highest-priced submission”), and it’s great she was not disappointed at how their branding material “reflects the way residents see themselves with the way they want others to think of them.”I for one don’t think I or my neighbours and friends look like a few squares with balloon sans serif type. By ‘others’ I’m assuming she means the rest of the world.It’s pretty clear to me how some outsiders (and insiders) view locals and the Valley: A big lollipop (sucker) might have been more appropriate, with rows of little houses covering the background, a black pit in the centre, and dollar signs floating off the page to represent economy, Comox Valley style. But let’s pretend I’m a typical tourist from anywhere. I log on to Expedia to find out if I can get from Vancouver to Comox Valley next week.Fly Monday, return Thursday — I picked the dates at random. I have some questions.Why is my cheapest round trip $769? That’s with a side trip to Kelowna and Edmonton.If I want to get here with only one stop, I can go to Edmonton for $953. Why don’t my other options — Central Mountain, or Pacific Coastal, come up?Why when I use my Aeroplan points, do I have to fly in and out of Nanaimo? Why, if I search a trip on Air Canada, I can fly from Toronto to Comox, but I can’t fly from Vancouver?A new logo and marketing materials don’t fix these problems. Consultants don't. An international ad agency doesn't.Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m a big supporter of the airport.I use it to get to work in the USA and Canada, and my wife and I were thrilled to fly to Mexico this winter without having to spend overnights in Vancouver on the way down and the way back, or deal with our security-crazed brothers and sisters in the USA.The board of CVAC can dodge the question of who pays for what, but the bottom line is the airport does not exist without the support of local government and CFB Comox. Last time I looked, it was taxpayer dollars that ultimately provide the funds to all the entities.As a taxpayer, I’m asking that my money not be wasted, be spent in the Valley, and in these times when individuals and businesses are forced to tighten their belts, our public institutions and public employees do the same.Andy MacDougall,Royston