December 20, 2010

U.S. Department of Transportation

Docket Management System

400 7th Street SW, Plaza 401

Washington, DC 20591-0001

Re: Exemption No. 3585, as amended; Docket No. FAA-2001-9379

Ladies/Gentlemen:

In accordance with Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14CFR) § 11.61, the Air Transport 

Association of America, Inc. (ATA), on behalf of its member airlines1petitions the Administrator 

for an extension of Exemption No. 3585Q (Docket No. FAA-2001-9379). This exemption is 

scheduled to expire on May 31, 2011.

Exemption 3585 provides relief, under certain conditions and limitations, from 14 CFR §§ 121.613, 

121.619(a), and 121.625 to the extent necessary to: (1) dispatch an airplane, under IFR, to a 

destination airport; and (2) list an alternate airport for that destination airport when the Aerodrome 

Forecast (TAF) for either one or both of those airports indicates by the use of conditional language 

such as “BECMG,” “PROB,” or “TEMPO,” in the TAF that the weather could be below authorized 

weather minimums at the time of arrival. Dispatch under these circumstances is permitted if the 

information contained in the main body of the TAF used by the certificate holder’s dispatch center 

shows, for each flight to be dispatched, that the weather at the destination airport and alternate 

airport listed in the dispatch release will be at or above authorized weather minimums at the time of 

arrival.

This exemption has been used to the benefit of the traveling public for more than twenty-one 

years, with no known compromise of safety. With regard to public interest and equivalent levels 

of safety, the circumstances that warranted the initial grant of exemption continue to exist. 

_______________________________________________

1/ Operator Members: 

ABX Air, ASTAR Air Cargo, AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Atlas Air, Continental 

Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Evergreen International, Federal Express, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways, 

Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, United Parcel Service Co., US Airways.

Associate Members: 

Air Canada, Air Jamaica, and Mexicana. 
U.S. Department of Transportation

Docket Management System

Docket No. FAA-2001-9379

December 20, 2010

Page Two

The renewal of this exemption is not a controversial issue. For this reason, and the reasons stated 

above, ATA requests that a finding of good cause be made for waiving publication in the Federal 

Register. Granting the requested relief will set no precedents. The existence of the exemption is 

well known and widely accepted.

A summary of this petition as required by 14 CFR §11.81 is attached. 

If you have any questions or need additional information, please call me at (202) 626-4012.

Very truly yours, 

AIR TRANSPORT ASSOCIATION

OF AMERICA

 By: ___________/S/_______________ 

Paul W. Railsback

Director - Operations

1301 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20004

(202) 626-4012

prailsback@airlines.org

Attachment
U.S. Department of Transportation

Docket Management System

Docket No. FAA-2001-9379

December 20, 2010

Attachment

SUMMARY OF ATA PETITION

The Air Transport Association of America (ATA), requests an extension of Exemption 

3585 to provide continued regulatory relief from 14 CFR §§121.613, 121.619(a), and 

121.625, dispatch requirements triggered by conditional weather forecasts.