U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

Ms. CiCi Rojas 

President & CEO 

Central Exchange 

1020 Central Suite 100 

Kansas City, MO 64105 

Dear Ms. Rojas: 

Assistant Secretary 

APR 0 7 2014 

1200 New Jersey Ave .. S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter of March 13 to Secretary Foxx regarding the application of Southwest 

Airlines Co. (Southwest) to provide service between Kansas City International Airport (MCI) 

and Washington-Reagan National Airport (DCA) on a pendente lite basis. Secretary Foxx asked 

that I respond to you on his behalf. 

On January 31,2014, Republic Airline, Inc. (operating as Frontier Airlines), relinquished a pair 

of previously awarded DCA slot exemptions when it ceased operating its DCA-MCI service. On 

January27, 2014, the Department issued Order 2014-1-16, which confirmed our grant to 

Southwest of pendente lite authority to operate DCA-MCI service using the former Republic 

Airline slot exemptions. This temporary grant of authority is intended to minimize consumer 

inconvenience and is made without prejudice to the Department's decision on longer term 

authority. 

By Notice dated March 5, 2014, the Department established a proceeding to reallocate these slot 

exemptions on a permanent basis. Carriers may propose service between DCA and any airport · 

within the 1 ,250-mile DCA perimeter that was designated as a medium-hub or smaller in 1997. 

Carrier applications were due March 25, 2014, and any comments on those applications are due 

April1, 2014. As this is now a pending matter before the Department I cannot comment further; 

however, I can assure you that the Department will thoroughly evaluate all service proposals 

against the applicable statutory criteria for awarding DCA slot exemptions. 

As is our standard practice in such matters, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in 

Docket DOT -OST .,.2000-7182, as a contact outside the record of the case. 

I hope this information is helpful. 

Sincerely, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
EXCHANGE 

CONNECT ACHIEVE T?.ANSFORM 

March 13.2014 

The Honorable Anthony Foxx 

Secretary 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Re: Docket DOT-OST-2000-7182 (Within-Perimeter DCA Slot Exemptions) 

Dear Secretary, Foxx: 

It is my understanding that Frontier Airlines will terminate its nonstop flights bet\veen Kansas 

City and Washington National Airport (DCA) on January 5, 2014. With Frontier's departure~ 

competition in this important market will be eliminated, unless a new airline fills the void. For 

this reason. I strongly support Southwest Airlines' application to use the soon-to-be vacated DCA 

slot exemptions to fly nonstop bet\veen Kansas City and the Nation's CapitaL beginning on 

Janumy 6, 2014. 

Southwest's proposal \viii prevent disruption to the traveling public by providing a seamless 

transition after Frontier leaves the DCA-Kansas City market. Further, history has shown that 

competition, especially by a low-cost airline like Southwest, produces significant public benefits, 

including lower ticket prices and greater passenger volumes. 

By approving Southwest's pendente lite application, your Departnient would not only ensure 

competition and a seamless transition, it would put these slot exemptions to best use considering 

South.west's large presence in Kansas City (i.e., 41% local passenger market share) and the fact 

that Southwest uses a much larger aircraft (i.e., 143-seat, Boeing 737) than any airline currently 

operating nonstop in the DCA-Kansas City market. Southwest is also the Nation's largest 

domestic airline with a national route structure. which would allow Kansas City to serve as a onestop/~onnecting option for travelers flying between DCA and other points within the United 

States. 

Forthe foregoing reasons, I respectfully urge the U.S. Department ofTransportation to approve 

Southwest's pendente lite application for DC A-Kansas City service. 

~-""' 

i11cerely~ 

Central Exchange·Downtownl1020 Central Suite 100, Kansas City, MO 64105 I P. 816.471.7560 I iplflf I y1 College Boulevard Suite 245, Overland Park, KS 66211 I P. 913.253.0900 1 1.1nl · 1 . nm