U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretory 

ot Transportation 

Mr. James D. Hinde 

Director of Aviation 

ABQ Intemational Sunport 

PO Box 9948 

Albuquerque, NM 87119-1 048 

Dear Mr. Hinde: 

Assmtam Soctetary 

January 18, 2013 

1200 New Jersey Ave. S E. 

Washington. DC 20500 

.1'·••.,.\! 

.:··.:··:,• 

Thank you for your letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application 

of Southwest Airlines (Southwest) for two within-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan 

Washington National Airport (DCA). Southwest proposes to serve Houston's William P. Hobby 

Airport with one nonstop round trip per day from DCA, with service beyond to Albuquerque. 

Secretary LaHood asked that I respond to you on his behalf. 

We received SouthwesCs application on December 5, 2012. Other timely applications were 

received from JetBlue Airways, proposing one nonstop round trip to Jacksonville International 

Airport, Florida, and from US Airways, proposing one nonstop round trip to Will Rogers World 

Airport in Oklahoma City. 

As the matter is still pending, I cannot comment on the merits of the points raised in your letter. 

However, I cart assure you that all applications received by the U.S. Department of 

Transportation will be given due and careful consideration. 

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-OST -2000-7182. 

I appreciate your interest in this matter. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
CITY OF ALBU-Q!)ERQ!JE 

Richard J. Berry 

Mayor 

December 12, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Re: Southwest Airlines' Application for Nonstop HOU-DCA Service; Docket No. DOTOST -2000-7182 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

I write in strong support of Southwest Airlines' (Southwest's) application to provide daily 

nonstop service between Houston's William P. Hobby Airport (Hobby) and Ronald Reagan 

Washington National Airport (DCA). Along with proposed follow-through service to/from 

Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ), Southwest's proposed expansion at DCA will 

benefit thousands of travelers looking for a more convenient and less expensive way to get 

to/from the nation's capital. 

Th.e ABQ-DCA market is overpriced and underserved. The Greater Albuquerque area 

boasts a population of nearly a million people. Among the area's major employers are 

Kirkland Air Force Base and Sandia National Laboratories, two major federal installations 

that rely heavily on access to/from Washington, DC. Despite the size and importance of the 

Greater Albuquerque area, existing commercial air service between DCA and ABQ is 

relatively sparse, indirect and expensive, due in large part to DCA's 1 ,250-mile perimeter 

that restricts long-haul air service. 

For this reason, I strongly support Southwest's application for weekday, roundtrip DCAHOU-ABQ service. There is strong demand within the Greater Albuquerque area for better 

and more frequent service to/from DCA. We are especially pleased to have ABQ's largest 

airline, Southwest Airlines, offer this service. For over 41 years, Southwest has been a 

leader in offering dependable, high-quality, low-cost air service. I can think of no better 

airline to offer one-stop, same plane service between DCA and ABQ, which Southwest 

proposes to start by the end of 2013. 

James D. Hinde 

Director of Aviation P.O. Box 9948 Albuquerque, NM 87119- l 048 
Southwest's application is clearly in the public1

S interest, and we respectful\y urge your 

approval. Thank you for your attention to this matter. 

Respectfully, 

9~nf=~ James D. Hinde, C.M., Aviation Director 
' . 

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