BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

 

Application of 

AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. 

for a statement of authorization pursuant to Part 212

 Docket OST-2011-_____

 

APPLICATION OF

AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. 

FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Richard D. Mathias

David M. Endersbee

Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger, LLP

Suite 700

888 Seventeenth St., NW

Washington, D.C. 20036

Tel: 202-298-8660

Fax: 202-342-0683

Email: rdmathias@zsrlaw.com

 dmendersbee@zsrlaw.com

Counsel for Aerovías del Continente 

Americano S.A. 

Dated: August 30, 2011

NOTICE: Answers to this Application are due on or before September 7, 2011. However, 

the Applicant intends to poll.
BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

 

Application of 

AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. 

for a statement of authorization pursuant to Part 212

 Docket OST-2011-_____

 

APPLICATION OF

AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. 

FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION

Aerovías Del Continente Americano S.A. (“Avianca”) hereby applies for a blanket 

statement of authorization pursuant to Part 212 of the Department’s regulations to engage in the 

codesharing services described below. Avianca requests that the requested blanket statement of 

authorization remain in effect for an indefinite period, consistent with Department practice. 

In support of its application, Avianca states as follows:

1. In 2009, Avianca and the TACA Group entered into a strategic merger, forming a 

single company named AviancaTACA Ltd. The integration of Avianca and the TACA Group 

has created new travel opportunities for travelers throughout the Western Hemisphere as a result 

of the alignment of the carriers’ complementary route networks. Avianca and Trans American 

Airlines, S.A. d/b/a TACA Perú (“TACA Perú”) presently codeshare on flights outside of the 

U.S. and now seek to expand this coordination to U.S. markets. Avianca and TACA Perú share 

ultimate common ownership under AviancaTACA Ltd. Avianca is a wholly-owned subsidiary 
of AviancaTACA Ltd. TACA Perú is owned by citizens of Peru and Grupo TACA Holdings, 

Limited, which in turn is owned by AviancaTACA Ltd. 

2. Avianca and TACA Perú have recently amended their codesharing agreement to 

add certain Colombia – U.S. markets. Beginning as soon as governmental approvals are granted, 

Avianca will display TACA Perú’s “TA*” designator code1

3. Avianca therefore requests a blanket statement of authorization to enable it to 

display TACA Perú’s “TA*” designator code on Avianca flights between a point or points in 

Colombia and a point or points in the United States. Avianca also requests a waiver of the 

Department’s 45-day advance filing requirement in order to begin these services as soon as 

possible. 

on its flights between the U.S. and 

Colombia on the routes set forth on Appendix A. TACA Perú will not carry local Colombia –

U.S. traffic. 

4. Avianca is in all respects fit, willing, and able to perform the codesharing services 

described herein, and both carriers hold the necessary underlying economic authority for these 

services. Avianca holds a foreign air carrier permit issued by Order 86-9-36, as well as various 

exemption authorities.

2

 1 TACA Perú holds exemption authority authorizing the use of a common designator code along 

with certain other Grupo TACA carriers (TACA International Airlines ,S.A., Lineas Aereas 

Costarricenses, S.A. and AVIATECA S.A.) (Notice of Action Taken, Jan. 22, 2009, in effect 

pursuant to Part 377 and a timely renewal application filed on January 13, 2010, Docket 

OST-2004-17355). TACA Perú’s TA* code will be paired with a dedicated TACA Perú 

flight number.

 TACA Perú holds exemption authority authorizing it to engage, inter 

alia, in scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail from points behind 

2 Bogota – Ft. Lauderdale, Docket OST-2003-15898 (Notice of Action Taken November 28, 

2008, in effect pursuant to Part 377 and a timely renewal application filed on November 19, 

2009); Bogota – Washington, D.C. Docket OST-2008-0106 (Notice of Action Taken, March 

31, 2011).
Peru, via Peru and intermediate points, to any point or points in the United States, and beyond. 

Notice of Action Taken, May 19, 2011 (Docket OST-2000-8054). 

5. The authority sought herein is consistent with the applicable bilateral air services 

agreements in force between each carrier’s homeland and the U.S. The 1956 U.S. – Colombia 

Air Service Agreement, as amended, did not provide for third-country codesharing opportunities. 

However, third-country codesharing opportunities are among the new opportunities made 

available under the 2011 U.S. – Colombia Air Service Agreement (the “Open Skies 

Agreement”)3

6. Grant of the blanket statement of authorization requested herein is fully consistent 

with, and will serve, the public interest. These new codesharing services will expand the range 

of service choices available to the traveling public. 

, which now provides for such opportunities. Specifically, Section 3 of Open Skies 

Agreement’s Annex provides that a Colombian airline may enter into third-country codesharing 

arrangements with “an airline or airlines of a third country located in North America, South 

America, Central America, and the Caribbean.” The U.S. – Peru Air Transport Agreement 

provides that a carrier or either party may enter into codesharing arrangements with airlines of a 

third party (Paragraph 7, Article 8). 

7. Avianca will accept the Department’s standard codesharing conditions and will 

notify the Department at least 30 days in advance of any additional codesharing services. 

Additionally, Avianca will fully comply with Part 257 of the Department’s regulations. 

 3 In accordance with Article 18, the Open Skies Agreement became provisionally effective upon 

exchange of notes on August 26, 2011.
8. Grant of this authority will not constitute a “major regulatory action” under the 

Energy and Conservation Act of 1975, as defined in section 313.4(a)(1) of the Department’s 

regulations. 

WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Aerovías Del Continente Americano S.A. 

respectfully requests that the Department grant the requested statement of authorization 

described herein and grant such other relief as may be necessary or appropriate. 

Respectfully submitted,

Richard D. Mathias

David M. Endersbee

Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger, LLP

Suite 700

888 Seventeenth St., NW

Washington, D.C. 20036

Tel: 202-298-8660

Fax: 202-342-0683

Email: rdmathias@zsrlaw.com

 dmendersbee@zsrlaw.com

Counsel for Aerovías Del Continente 

Americano S.A. 

Dated: August 30, 2011 
Appendix A

Initial Codeshare Points

TACA Perú’s “TA*” designator code will be displayed on flights operated by Avianca in the 

following markets:

Fort Lauderdale – Bogotá

Miami – Bogotá

 Cali

 Medellín

New York – Bogotá

 Medellín

Washington, D.C. – Bogotá 
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on this 30th day of August 2011, a copy of the foregoing Application

of Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. For a Statement of Authorization was served by 

electronic mail on the following:

R. Bruce Keiner, Jr.

Lorraine B. Halloway

Counsel for Continental Airlines

Crowell & Moring LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004-2595

rbkeiner@crowell.com

Lhalloway@crowell.com

Dan Weiss

Continental Airlines, Inc.

Government Affairs—8th Floor

1600 Smith Street, 

Dept. HQSGV

Houston, TX 77002

dan.weiss@coair.com

Stephen J. Morrissey

Managing Director, International and

 Regulatory Affairs

United Air Lines

1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W.

Suite 1210

Washington, DC 20036

Steve.morrissey@united.com

John Palo

Vice President, Planning Military

 and Government

Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.

3850 Three Mile Lane

McMinnville, OR 97128

john.palo@evergreenairlines.com

charters@evergreenairlines.com

Carl B. Nelson, Jr.

Associate General Counsel

American Airlines, Inc.

1101 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Suite 600

Washington, D.C. 20036

carl.nelson@aa.com

John L. Richardson

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

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

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
2

Marshall S. Sinick

Counsel for Florida West 

 International Airways

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P.

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 500

Washington, D.C. 20004

msinick@ssd.com

Anita Mosner

Jennifer Nowak

Counsel for United Parcel Service

Holland & Knight

2099 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Suite 100

Washington, D.C. 20006

Anita.mosner@hklaw.com

Jennifer.nowak@hklaw.com

Alexander Van Der Bellen

Jeff Morgan 

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

Jeff.morgan@delta.com

William C. Evans

John R. Mietus, Jr.

Counsel for Centurion Air Cargo

Law Office of John Mietus, LLC

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 300

Washington, DC 20004

bill@mietuslaw.com

john@mietuslaw.com

John M. Allen

Director

Flight Standards Service

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S.W., Rm 821

Washington, D.C. 20591

john.allen@faa.gov

Courtney Felts

Legal and Regulatory Affairs

FedEx Express

3620 Hacks Cross Road

Building B, 3rd Floor

Memphis, TN 38125

cefelts@fedex.com

Robert P. Silverberg

Jeffrey Johnson

Counsel for ABX Air

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

1101 30th Street, N.W., Ste. 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

rsilverberg@sgbdc.com

jjohnson@sgbdc.com

Thomas A. Gillies

Chief Operating Officer

Southern Air Inc.

117 Glover Ave.

Norwalk, CT 06850

tgillies@southernair.com

Howard Kass

Managing Director & Associate General

 Counsel

US Airways

1401 H Street, N.W.

Suite 1075

Washington, D.C. 20006

howard_kass@usairways.com
3

Oakley Brooks

President and CEO

Paul Doell

National Air Carrier Association

1000 Wilson Boulevard

Suite 1700

Arlington, Virginia 22209

obrooks@naca.cc

pdoell@naca.cc

Mark W. Atwood

Counsel for Kalitta Air

Cozen O’Connor

Army Navy Building

1627 I Street, NW

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

matwood@cozen.com

Aaron Goerlich

Counsel for Allegiant Air and Ryan

 International Airlines

Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC

1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Suite 800

Washington, D.C. 20036-6802

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com

Elaine Nisson

Mark Liland

Northern Air Cargo, Inc.

3900 Old International Airport Road

Anchorage, AK 99502

enisson@nac.aero

mliland@nac.aero

Joanne W. Young

Counsel for Spirit Airlines

Kirstein & Young PLLC

1001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Suite 600 South

Washington, DC 20004

jyoung@yklaw.com 

Jonathan B. Hill

Counsel for JetBlue

Dow Lohnes 

1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036-6802

jhill@dowlohnes.com

David M. Endersbee