U.S. Department 

of Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

The Honorable Dawnna Dukes 

State of Texas 

House of Representatives 

P.O. Box 2910 

Austin, Texas 78768-2910 

Dear Representative Dukes: 

Assistant Secretary 

April 20, 2012 

1200 New Jersey Avenue. SE 

Washington; DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter to Secretary of Transportation 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. 

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the 

U.S. Department of Transportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent 

carriers a total of eight 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 sought two slot exemptions, which would support one daily DCA-AUS 

round trip; JetBlue also applied for two slot exemptions 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; Frontier Airlines, 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, I cannot comment on the merits of the points raised in your letter. 

However, I can assure you that all applications the Department received will be given full and 

fair consideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute. 

The Department's action on this matter is being administered through a public docket, which 

allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, I am 

placing a copy of your letter and this response in docket number DOT-2012-0029. 

I appreciate your interest in this matter. 

Sincerely yours, 

usan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
(})awnna (])uk_gs 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

P.O. Box 2910 

Austin, Texas 78766-2910 

(512) 463-0506 

March 19,2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dear Mr. Secretary LaHood: 

As a State Representative representing Austin and Northeast Travis County, I 

wholeheartedly support nonstop service between the Nation's capital from Ronald 

Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to the Texas capital at Austin-Bergstrom 

International Airport (AUS). Austin is the 14th largest- and the third fastest-growingcity in the United States with an MSA population of 1.8 million. This is a thirty-seven 

percent increase since 2000. Moreover, this population is projected to reach 2 million in 

just three years. AUS has grown right along with the city. 

Clean, safe, reliable nonstop air transportation is vital to Austin's continued growth. 

Austin has been ranked as "America's No. 1 Boom Town" by Forbes magazine. It has 

been named as one of the "Top 10 American Cities of the Future" by fDi Intelligence. 

Austin's unique blend of easy-going vibe and energetic capitalism has attracted residents 

and visitors from across the country and around the world. While the SXSW and ACL 

musical festivals and other entertainment events draw an ever-increasing number of 

leisure visitors, the SXSW Interactive Conference and leading research institutions 

examine pressing issues of technology and public policy that also attract and retain 

leading figures in business and academia. 

Consistent conttibutions to America's cultural, political, and intellectual life by Austin 

have helped many. Your award of the necessary slots for nonstop AUS-DCA service will 

ensure these contributions continue. Thank you for your consideration of Austin during 

this process. Please contact me if I may provide any further assistance to you during this 

process. 

Sincerely, 

a ukes 

State Representative; District 46 

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