ZUCKERT SCOUTT & RASENBERGER, L.L.P. ATTORNEYS AT LAW

888 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-3309

Telephone [202] 298-8660 Fax [202] 342-0683

www.zsrlaw.com

March 20, 2013

Robert Finamore

Chief, Foreign Air Carrier Licensing Division

U.S. Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.W.

Washington, D.C. 20590

Re: Common Code Approval, Avianca and the TACA Group 

(Docket OST-2012-0136)

Dear Mr. Finamore:

On December 13, 2012, the Department, by Notice of Action Taken in the abovecaptioned docket, approved the August 13, 2012 Joint Application of TACA International 

Airlines, S.A., Trans American Airlines, S.A. d/b/a TACA, Lineas Aereas Costarricenses S.A., 

and Aviateca S.A. (collectively, the “TACA Group”) along with Aerovias Del Continente 

Americano S.A. Avianca (“Avianca”) for (1) an exemption under 49 U.S.C. § 40109 permitting 

them to register under 14 C.F.R. Part 215 for: their collective use of the trade name “Avianca” 

and use of the designator code “AV” for their services in foreign air transportation to and from 

the United States; and (2) (for the TACA Group) an application for a blanket statements of 

authorization pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 212 in order to display the “AV*” designator code.

Appendix C of the Department’s Notice of Action Taken includes a condition (set forth 

in footnote 1) that the TACA Group carriers could continue to utilize the TACA trade name and 

“TA” code on a transitional basis until March 31, 2013. 

By means of this letter, Avianca and the TACA Group respectfully request an 

amendment to the Department’s approval to the extent necessary to continue the use of the 

TACA trade name and “TA” code until August 31, 2013. This extension is necessary as Avianca 

and the TACA Group continue to address technological issues associated with the common use 

of the Avianca trade name and code. The carriers are working closely with Amadeus to 

implement the changes necessary to permit full implementation of the authority granted by the 

Department, but some technical issues remain outside of the control of Avianca and the TACA 

Group. 

Avianca and the TACA Group anticipate that the outstanding technological issues will be 

resolved prior to August 31, 2013, which will provide a period of time for testing and validation

to proceed before full implementation and cessation of the use of the TACA name and “TA” 

designator code. 
Robert Finamore

March 20, 2013

Page 2

ZUCKERT SCOUTT & RASENBERGER,L.L.P.

 Grant of this request will serve the public interest. In its December 13, 2012 approval, 

the Department cited the “aviation agreements between the U.S. and the homelands of each of 

the joint applicants” as the basis for the approval. Notice of Action Taken at 2. Collectively, 

these agreements represent the view of the U.S. and the homeland of each of carrier here that 

liberalized air services and cooperative marketing agreements best serve the public interest, and 

provide for greater access to a variety of air service products. The additional time requested will 

permit Avianca and the TACA Group to smoothly transition to a common trade name and 

designator code, and will not prejudice any party.

Avianca and the TACA Group will poll all parties set forth on the attached certificate of 

service and will advise the Department of the results as soon as possible.

Respectfully submitted,

Richard D. Mathias

David M. Endersbee

Jonathon H. Foglia

Counsel for Avianca and the TACA Group

cc: service list
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on this 20th day of March 2013, a copy of the foregoing was served by email on the 

parties named below:

Lorraine B. Halloway

Gerald F. Murphy

Counsel for Continental/United Airlines

Crowell & Moring LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004-2595

lhalloway@crowell.com

gmurphy@crowell.com

Dan Weiss

Managing Director – International &

 Regulatory Affairs

United Air Lines

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQIZ

Chicago, IL 60601

dan.weiss@united.com

Stephen J. Morrissey

Managing Director, Regulatory and

 Policy

United Air Lines, Inc.

1225 New York Avenue, NW - DCAIZ

Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005

steve.morrissey@united.com

Jonathan T. Linde

Managing Director & Senior Counsel-

 Regulatory

United Air Lines, Inc.

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQLD

16th Floor

Chicago, IL 60601

jonathan.linde@united.com

Alexander Van Der Bellen

Sametta C. Barnett

Delta Air Lines

1212 New York Avenue, NW

Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20005

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com

Sametta.c.barnett@delta.com

Robert Wirick

American Airlines, Inc.

1101 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Suite 600

Washington, D.C. 20036

robert.wirick@aa.com

John L. Richardson

Joan Canny

Counsel for Amerijet International

John L. Richardson, P.L.L.C.

555 13th Street, N.W.

Suite 420 West

Washington, D.C. 20004

jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com

jCanny@amerijet.com

Kelli Bryan

Ranjit Seth

Robert Foster

Charter Sales

Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.

3850 Three Mile Lane

McMinnville, OR 97128

charters@evergreenairlines.com

ranjit.seth@evergreenairlines.com

chris.schuldt@evergreenhelicopters.com 

philip.Church@evergreenhelicopters.com

Robert.foster@evergreenairlines.com

Malcolm L. Benge

Counsel for World Airways

Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger LLP

888 17th Street, N,W.

Suite 700

Washington, DC 20006

mlbenge@zsrlaw.com

Angeline Garbuzinski

Legal and Regulatory Affairs

Federal Express Corporation

3620 Hacks Cross Road

Building B, 3rd Floor

Memphis, TN 38125

anbird@fedex.com

cefelts@fedex.com
2

Timothy Erickson

Safety and Regulatory Affairs

Air Transport International LLC

2800 Cantrell Road

Little Rock, AR 72202

Timothy.erickson@airtransport.cc

Howard Kass

Managing Director & Associate General

 Counsel

US Airways

1401 H Street, N.W.

Suite 1075

Washington, D.C. 20006

Howard.kass@usairways.com

John M. Allen

Director

Flight Standards Service

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Room 821

Washington, D.C. 20591

john.allen@faa.gov 

Aaron Goerlich

Counsel for Allegiant Air, Ryan 

 International Airlines and Southern Air

Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC

1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Suite 800

Washington, D.C. 20036-6802

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com

Robert P. Silverberg

Jeffrey Johnson

Counsel for ABX Air

Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P.

1101 30th Street, N.W.

Suite 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

rsilverberg@sgbdc.com

jjohnson@sgbdc.com

Marshall S. Sinick

Counsel for Alaska Airlines and Florida 

 West International Airways

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 500

Washington, D.C. 20004

msinick@ssd.com

Russell E. Pommer

Associate General Counsel and

 Director of Regulatory Affairs

Atlas Air, Inc.

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 875

Washington, D.C 20006

rpommer@atlasair.com

Mark W. Atwood

Counsel for Kalitta Air and Xtra Airways

Cozen O’Connor

Army Navy Building

1627 I Street, NW

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

matwood@cozen.com

ldunn@xtraairways.com

Jonathan B. Hill

Counsel for Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue

Dow Lohnes 

1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036-6802

jhill@dowlohnes.com

John S. Fredericksen

Vice President and General Counsel

MN Airlines, LLC dba Sun Country

 Airlines

1300 Mendota Heights Road

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

john.fredericksen@suncountry.com

Joanne W. Young

Counsel for Spirit Airlines

Kirstein & Young PLLC

1001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Suite 600 South

Washington, DC 20004

jyoung@yklaw.com 

John R. Mietus, Jr.

Counsel for Centurion Air Cargo and Trade 

 Winds Airlines

Law Office of John Mietus, LLC

6701 Democracy Boulevard

Suite 300

Bethesda, MD 20817

john@mietuslaw.com
3

Kevin Montgomery

Peter Beckett

Polar Air Cargo, Inc.

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 875

Washington, D.C 20006

kevin.montgomery@ polaraircargo.com

peter.beckett@polaraircargo.com

Michael F. Goldman

Counsel for Capital Cargo International 

 Airlines

Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P.

1101 30th Street, N.W.

Suite 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

mgoldman@sgbdc.com