U.S. Department ofTransportation Office ofthe Secretary ofTransportation The Honorable Daniel Guerrero Mayor ofSanMarcos 630 EastHopkins San Marcos, Texas 78666 DearMayor Guerrero: Assistant Secretary April 20, 2012 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

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Thankyou for your letter to Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the award of beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to be used for nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. Secretary LaHood asked me to respond to your letter. Underauthority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent carriers atotal ofeight slot exemptions at DCA, which would support four daily round trips. We received applications proposing to serve AUS from two carriers, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Each soughttwo slot exemptions, which would supportone daily DCA-AUS round trip; JetBlue also applied fortwo slotexemptions to serve San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Alaska Airlines, one round trip to Portland, Oregon, and one round trip to San Diego; FrontierAirlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; Sun Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc., two round trips to San Francisco. As the matter is still pending, Icannotcommentonthe merits ofthepoints raised in your letter. However, Ican assure you that all applications the Departmentreceived will be given full and fair consideration and will be evaluated againstthe selection criteria specified in the statute. The Department's action on this matter is being administered through apublic docket, which allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, I am placing a copy ofyour letter and this response in docket numberDOT-2012-0029. Iappreciate your interest in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International AffairsDaniel Guerrero Office of the Mayor

The Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590 Re: Docket No. DOT-OST-2012-0029. DearMr. Secretary, March 22,2012

As Mayor ofthe city ofSan Marcos, Texas I am writing to express my strong support for applications that have been submitted to provide daily nonstop roundtrip flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. San Marcos is acity in Hays County, Texas between Austin and SanAntonio which are two ofthe fastest growing metropolitan areas in the country. San Marcos is part ofthe Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metropolitan area. At present nonstop service from ourregion to Washington DC is limited to flights to Washington (Dulles) orBaltimore/Washington International Airport. Those flights are inconvenientfor travelers who have aneed to visit Federal Government offices, legislators or organizations located in the District ofColumbia and for residents ofthe District ofColumbia who want to visit Central Texas. In order to fly in or out ofDCA, these travelers must make time-consuming connections. A

ward ofbeyond-perimeter slot exemptions for nonstop service between AustinBergstrom International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport will improve the travel options for all the residents and businesses in San Marcos and all of Central Texas. Irespectfully urge you to grant slot exemptions to an airline that will provide nonstop**~** A

US-DCA service. Sincerely,

aniel Guerrero Mayor

East Hopkins • San**Marco~.** Texas 78666 • 512/393-8090 • FAX 5I2/396-1576