## u.s.**Qep~.ntroent** ol Tt£1nsportotlon of the Secretory oflronspQrtation April 12,10 ZOU


### Ms.**~u~n B~jg~**  

### Chair) Clark Co.unty Board of COffi!lliSsioners**P~O~** 

### Box, 11005· 

## tas\iegas)NV 89U 1-1005 

### Dear Ms. Brager: Thank 

### you fur 

### your letter 

### to**Seer~tary** 

### LaHood.suppot·ting the 

### application ofMN 

### Aidinesl LLC.,**oper.ating~·** 

### JSun**.C~untry ~irlines.**  

### (Sun**.Cou~try),** 

### ror 

### b.eyond

..**perirnet~'~lot** 

### exemptions at 

### Ronald**Reaga~t.Wasl:tingtt>n** 

### NationaJ Air1Jort (DCA). Sun .Country's,applioaUon proposes:to set'Ve 

### t.•s**V~gas M~Garran**  

### lnten1ational Airport With one round trip 

### per day 

### from DCA. Secretary LaHolld asked that I respond .to 

### your letter. llnder'authqrify 

### granted in .the FAA 

## Modernization and**~.forJl1** 

### Act o£.2.0 12, the 

# ·u.s. Department Qfitansp¢rtatlorrwUr be awardfng 

### to new ·entrant ¢t·lirhite.d incumbent carrier$ a.tota{ 

### of eight $Jot exemptions 

### at DCA, "Yb1ch woutd·$upport four 

### d•dly round trips. We rec.eived' 

### Sun**Gount1-y~scam~U~llti(ln ~m**  

### Marcil 

### 12. Other 

### tin\ely**appli~atio.l\8 we~,r:eceived** **.rio~** 

### Air**<;a!lll.d~** 

### proposing.ot1e'roundtfip to**Vnn~uver, ~ri~ish**  

### Colqmbia;,Alaska 

### Airljn($. Qrte 

### roundtrip 

## to Snrt**Di~gQ, O~lforitia,**  

### and· 

### one 

### ro!Jl\"d trip· 

### to P<n:tland.**Or~g(l!}:** 

### Frontier 

### A.itlinest 

### oneroundmp-to.Colorado**Spring~l** 

### Cglon,(do, and beyond to San 

### Diegc>;JetBllie**Aidin<;is~** 

### one**tQ\lil~.:~l'** 

### t.c> San Juan* 

### Puerto llico, and 

## one round trip to Austit1, 

### Texas: Southwest 

## Nrifnes* one 

## roun4**t~Ji~t$** 

### (\U"stjri, tmd**.~eyond** tq 

### San 

## "Diego; and. Vltgin Arhed¢a, l11c,,. two**roundtrip~** 

## to San Frandsco. 

### Califomht. As tM matter is stilt pending,,! catrn(lt comment on the 

### tnents of 

### the pe)int!i 

### r!lised 

### in your 

### letter.**l:Iowev~t,** 

### loaJ'l assure;youthat an·appfications.the Departntent received 

### will 

### bee 

## gi\ren

.. fuU and**faitconsldetal:i~n.attd** 

### will be evaluated**a~ainst** 

### tfte 

### selec;tibn crite1·ia**specifi~d** 

### irnhestatute. 

## Tne**Oepattroent~s.** 

### action on**thi;rn1atterl~ ,b~ing** **ndrnhd~~ered ~hrough**  

### a publie**d()cket~· whi~b**  

### allows. an. intimj$ted**parti~s** 

### the oppurtunity 

## to eoiltmf=nt. 

### foUowing·:.out normal practieet 

### I :am**pla~ing** 

### a copy of 

### your letter 

### artd this response 

### in doekehtUmber O:QT;.;2012..0029. 

### l 

### appte¢iate your interest in this 

### 1t1aUe1f.



### Susan .L. 

### Kurland Assistant**~seeretaryfo1·** 

### Aviation and International Affairs

## Department of Aviation

RANDALL H. WALKEI=I**t::Jir.~gCTOr4** ROSEMARY A. VASSILIADIS t::ll:F'I.J'TY t:ur..JI;c:'JTOI'l
McCARRAN INTERNATIONAL AlfWORT POSTAL SOX 11005 l.AS VEGAS. NEVAOA**99111·-100~** {7021 291- 5211

. . : . . . . . . ' 

# . '. March 19,2012

. .**Hoilorabl~** 

### Ray LaHood

.. . . . , ..



## · Secretary oftran.spmtaiion

.

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, D.C. 29590. · FAX(702l5S7-S66:3

. .. , . :· .· . : . .**~** . ' .: ' . . . : .

'···.·. ...

. .. :'···· .... Dear 

### Mi-.**Secreta~:·** ·



## . MN**Airiin~s.** LLC

### db~ Sun Co1.mtryAirlfri.es recently flied an application for

### a~ailabie landing and takeoff slots at Ronald**Re~gan Nation~!**  Airport in Washington, D.C. in order to provide

·· da.ily nobstop.service between Reagan Natioilal'AifJ)ort (DCA) arid Las Vegas McCarran

. Iriternational Airpcnt (LAS). Sun**Couritry's·sc~edule** would provide ·the only daYtime nonstop

· , · · -: ·. · ·.flights**'iidhefourth~IargestpCAorigiri** hnd destiilatiori market outside 

# or' the pei-irrieter.

·:' $uri 

## Cb,ili)try Airlines**i~** well**kn~wri nati~naliy**  for its excellent service and low fa.res. Awarding of the available takeoff and landing slots to Sun Country would provide an immediate

· competitive benefit iti the Las Vegas-Washington, D.C. market, based on a doubling of the**exi~ting** nonstop service betWeen these ail-ports..

. . . . ··.' .: . Currently' nonstop_**se~~ice.** is provided.soiely by 

## us**Airways~** featuring a late night arrival in Las Vegas**~ith** a redeye retumtoWashington National. These hours are not convenient for many potential customers. Despite this, the**mark~t** generated an 86.5 percent load factor duririgthe

.**"}ate~f.year;** 

## and the average rriarJ(et fare. was $235, We}fabove the average fart:)S for Connecting

.

. service. between LAS and DCA:·

. . . . ' ·. . . . . . . . . . . . 

### By· contrast, Sun Country proposes an 1115 DCA departure**with~** 13.09.LAS arrival, paired with

· · · · an.lll5 LAS departure artd an 1839 DCA'arrival. This schedule \votild be much more convenient to a greater number of prospective customers, especially those from Las Vegas with business in Washington, D.C. · · I

## wo~ld**veryimi~happ;e~iatey~u~ fa~or~bie** **c~~sideratlo~ ~fS~in** **C~~~ntry;s** appiication·.


### SHIY, · .. ·... . \

.. 

# D. A A• ' "-·. •·

## -~~~**~~~-** SUSAN BRAGER Chair, Clark**Co~nty** Board of Copunissioners

C.lm·.k County Boat·d of ColmnJs..•donet'tl

.**Su~<Hl** Br<Jger, Chuir •**S!t~VI!** Sis<)lal,, Vice-Chair Larry .Brown • '!o'm Coilli'l$ • Chtis Gl\lncblgli;:.nl • Mmy f:k,th Scow •**u~wrem:c** Wedliy