AFS-10-135-E 

January, 28, 2010 

 Exemption No. 10000 

 Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2010-0055 

Mr. O. J. Treadway 

Manager 

American Airlines, Inc. 

P.O. Box 619617 

Dallas/Fort Worth, TX 75261 

Dear Mr. Treadway: 

This letter is to inform you that we have granted your petition to combine Exemption 

Nos. 8660 and 9570, as amended. It explains the basis for our decision, describes its effect, 

and lists the conditions and limitations. 

The Basis for Our Decision 

By letter dated January 11, 2010, you petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) 

on behalf of American Airlines, Inc. (American), for the combination of Exemption 

Nos. 8660 and 9570, as amended. Those exemptions from § 121.619 of Title 14, Code of 

Federal Regulations allows American, its certificated dispatchers, and its pilots in command 

(PICs) to dispatch aircraft to domestic airports without designating an alternate for the 

destination airport where for at least 1 hour before and 1 hour after the estimated time of 

arrival at the destination airport the appropriate weather reports or forecasts, or any 

combination of them, indicate the ceiling will be at least 1,000 feet above the airport elevation 

and visibility will be at least 3 statute miles for airports utilizing Category (CAT) I 

authorizations or the visibility will be at least 2 statute miles for airports utilizing CAT II or 

CAT III authorizations. 

In your petition, you indicate that there has been no change in the conditions and reasons 

relative to public interest and safety that were the basis for granting the original exemptions. 
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The FAA has determined that good cause exists for not publishing a summary of the petition 

in the Federal Register because the requested extension of the exemptions would not set a 

precedent, and any delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to American. 

Our Decision 

The FAA has determined that the justification for the issuance of Exemption Nos. 8660 and 

9570, as amended, remains valid with respect to this exemption and is in the public interest. 

Therefore, under the authority provided by 49 U.S.C. 40113 and 44701, which the FAA 

Administrator has delegated to me, I grant your petition. The substance of the two previous 

exemptions is combined into this new exemption and subject to the following conditions and 

limitations. 

Conditions and Limitations

1. Before conducting operations under this exemption, American must obtain appropriate 

amended Operations Specifications (OpSpecs) that provide for operations under this 

exemption. 

2. Operations under this exemption are limited to only those destination airports in the 

contiguous United States. 

3. Operations under this exemption are limited to only those airports at which an 

operable instrument landing system (ILS) procedure is published. Alternate minimums 

are predicated on the following table: 

Alternate Minimums (Ceiling and Visibility Required) 

Operable ILS Ceiling Required Visibility Required 

Category I 1,000 feet above 

ground level (AGL) 

3 statute miles 

Category II 1,000 feet AGL 2 statute miles 

Category III 1,000 feet AGL 2 statute miles 

4. Before conducting operations under this exemption, American must demonstrate to 

the satisfaction of the FAA principal operations inspector (POI) assigned to the 

American Certificate Management Office that: 

a. Each American dispatcher has a system available to display the location of 

each American flight within 3 minutes of real time; 
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b. Each American dispatch facility has a system that provides its dispatchers with 

a display of the specific aircraft routing as assigned by air traffic control 

(ATC) and actual filed flight plan routing; 

c. Each American dispatcher has a system available to display locations of other 

airborne aircraft, including aircraft of other operators; 

d. Each American dispatch facility has a system available that provides its 

dispatchers with a display of planned and actual fuel at regular intervals along 

the route and the difference between planned and actual fuel; 

e. Each American dispatch facility has a system available that automatically 

alerts its dispatchers to special weather updates and changes in weather 

reports, forecasts, and/or other significant weather-related reports and ensures 

these can be relayed to flightcrews in an expeditious manner; 

f. Each American dispatcher is provided the capability to access the services of a 

qualified meteorologist approved by the POI whenever the dispatcher believes 

consultation is necessary to ensure safety of operations under this exemption. 

The presence of an approved Enhanced Weather Information System program 

satisfies this requirement; 

g. Each American dispatcher has the capability to expeditiously recompute 

projected arrival fuel from a point aloft to the intended destination in the event 

conditions occur that negatively impact the flight; and 

h. The dispatch release will contain a statement for each flight dispatched under 

this exemption such as: “ALTN WEATHER EXEMPTION APPLIED. 

REFERENCE (APPROPRIATE DOCUMENT SUCH AS FOM, GOM, etc).” 

Wording other than the above may be used, but the meaning must be clear in 

order to ensure that all involved in dispatching the flight understand which is 

the appropriate exemption and the specified conditions and limitations that 

apply. 

5. American must maintain CAT I (OpSpec C074)/CAT II/CAT III (OpsSpec C059) 

ILS approach authorization (as applicable) for those aircraft to which this exemption 

would apply, and each aircraft must have fully operating equipment needed for the 

appropriate CAT I/CAT II/CAT III ILS approach for that aircraft to operate under 

this exemption. 

6. At the time of dispatch, the flightcrew must be qualified to conduct a CAT I/CAT II/ 

CAT III ILS approach to published minimums (as applicable). PICs with less than 

the requisite minimum hours specified in § 121.652 cannot be used in operations 

under this exemption, unless the operator also holds Exemption No. 5549, the PIC 
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has been trained in accordance with the requirements of that exemption, and all of 

the conditions specified by Exemption No. 5549 are met. 

7. Operations are not permitted under this exemption at any airport at which 

thunderstorms are reported or forecast from 1 hour before through 1 hour after the 

estimated arrival time if such reports or forecasts are in either or both the main body 

or the remarks section of the weather report or the weather forecast. Furthermore 

American cannot use Exemption No. 3585 (as amended) issued to Air Transport 

Association of America, Inc., members (including American) or any subsequent 

exemption granting similar relief regarding any kind of forecast of thunderstorms at 

the destination airport in conjunction with any operation conducted under this 

exemption issued today. 

8. Each certificated American aircraft dispatcher and PIC who conducts operations 

under this exemption must be provided with a copy of pertinent parts of this 

exemption. Operations under this exemption are permitted by American aircraft 

dispatchers and American PICs but are not required. 

9. Use of this exemption in operations to destinations outside the contiguous 

United States is prohibited. American is authorized to use this exemption in 

operations to airports within the contiguous United States from airports outside 

those boundaries provided American also holds OpSpec A012 and operations are 

conducted in accordance with the appropriate provisions of that OpSpec as they 

pertain to operations from airports listed in Table 1 thereof. 

10. American must provide the Administrator, by the 15th day of each month, reports 

that include the information listed below during the preceding calendar month. The 

POI is authorized to delete this reporting requirement once American has conducted 

operations under this exemption satisfactorily for at least 24 continuous calendar 

months and sufficient data to thoroughly evaluate operational performance have 

been obtained. Reports must contain the following information: 

a. The total number of flights operated by American under domestic rules to 

destinations within the 48 contiguous States and the District of Columbia; 

b. The total number of flights operated under this exemption, including those 

flights conducted under the appropriate provisions and limitations of 

OpSpec A012. For each flight operated, the dates, airport pairs, flight 

numbers, aircraft make, model, and serial number, trended or graphical 

summary of flight planned fuel versus actual arrival fuel, and contingency fuel 

must be listed. Report format must be in chronological order by fleet type; 

c. The total number of flights that divert to an alternate airport; 
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d. The total number of flights that divert to an alternate airport that are operated 

under this exemption and the reason for each diversion, such as weather 

conditions, mechanical problem, fuel quantity, passenger problem, air traffic, 

crewmember, or any other reason. American must document fully each 

diversion; and 

e. The total number of American flights operated under this exemption that 

declare an emergency and the reason for such declaration, or during which 

flight a low fuel state occurs that results in actions being taken by ATC and/or 

dispatch to provide priority handling, even if no emergency is declared. 

This exemption terminates on January 31, 2012, unless sooner superseded or rescinded. 

Sincerely, 

/s/ 

John W. McGraw 

Acting Director, Flight Standards 

 Service