UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Issued by the Department of Transportation on April 10, 2014

NOTICE OF ACTION TAKEN – DOCKETS DOT-OST-1997-3289 and DOT-OST-2000-7708 ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

This serves as notice to the public of the action described below, taken by the Department official indicated (no additional 

confirming order will be issued in this matter).

Joint Applicants: AEROVIAS de MEXICO, S.A. de C.V. (Aeromexico); DELTA AIR LINES, INC. (Delta); and 

COMPASS AIRLINES, LLC (Compass)

Date Filed: March 10, 2014

Relief requested: Exemption from 49 USC §41301 to the extent necessary to permit Aeromexico to engage in scheduled 

foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between Aeromexico’s authorized U.S. gateway points and other 

points within the U.S. for the purpose of blind-sector code-sharing services between the U.S. gateway points and other 

points in the U.S. on flights operated by Compass.

Aeromexico also seeks a special authorization pursuant to 14 C.F.R. Part 216 to permit it to commingle traffic between 

Mexico and third countries (that is, traffic not in foreign air transportation) on the same services that carry traffic that is in 

foreign air transportation between Mexico and the United States and between the United States and third countries, in 

conjunction with third-country code-sharing services with Delta/Delta Connection.

Compass seeks a statement of authorization under 14 C.F.R. Part 212 to permit Compass to display Aeromexico’s “AM” 

designator code on Delta Connection flights Compass operates: (a) on a blind-sector basis between Aeromexico’s U.S. 

gateway points and other points in the U.S., and (b) between any point or points in the United States and any point or 

points in third countries on a blind-sector basis for the carriage of Aeromexico’s traffic between Mexico and third 

countries.

The joint applicants also request waivers of the 45-day advance filing requirement for statements of authorization under 

14 C.F.R. Part 212, and the 60-day advance filing requirement for special authorizations under 14 C.F.R. Part 216.

Applicant representatives: John R. Mietus, Jr. (Aeromexico) 202-747-5212; Alexander Van der Bellen (Delta) 

202-842-4184; and Lisa A. Harig (Compass) 703-247-5487

DOT analyst: Brett D. Kruger, 202-366-8025

Responsive pleadings: None

DISPOSITION

Action: Approved. Action date: April 10, 2014

Effective dates of authority granted: The exemption authority granted to Aeromexico is effective April 10, 2014, through 

April 10, 2015. 

The special authorization under 14 C.F.R. Part 216 granted to Aeromexico is effective April 10, 2014, through April 10, 

2015. 

The statement of authorization under 14 C.F.R. Part 212 granted to Compass is effective April 10, 2014, and will remain 

in effect for an indefinite duration, subject to conditions.

The waivers of the advance filing requirements under 14 C.F.R. Parts 212 and 216 are effective April 10, 2014.
Basis for approval (bilateral agreement/reciprocity): United States-Mexico Air Transport Services Agreement.

Except to the extent exempted/waived, this authority is subject to the terms, conditions, and limitations of our standard 

exemption conditions attached as Appendix A; to the code-share conditions attached as Appendix B; and to the otherwiseapplicable terms, conditions, and limitations of Aeromexico’s foreign air carrier permit (Order 91-5-25).

Action taken by: Paul L. Gretch, Director Office of International Aviation

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Under authority assigned by the Department in its regulations, 14 CFR Part 385, we found that (1) our action was consistent with 

Department policy; (2) Aeromexico was qualified to perform its proposed operations; (3) grant of the authority was consistent with the 

public interest; and (4) grant of the authority would not constitute a major regulatory action under the Energy Policy and Conservation 

Act of 1975. To the extent not granted, we denied all requests in the referenced application. We may amend, modify, or revoke the 

authority granted in this Notice at any time without hearing at our discretion.

Persons entitled to petition the Department for review of the action set forth in this Notice under the Department’s regulations, 14 CFR 

§385.30, may file their petitions within seven (7) days after the date of issuance of this Notice. This action was effective when taken, 

and the filing of a petition for review will not alter such effectiveness.

An electronic version of this document is available on the World Wide Web at:

http://www.regulations.gov
Appendix A

Foreign Carrier Exemption Conditions

In the conduct of the operations authorized, the foreign carrier applicant(s) shall:

(1) Not conduct any operations unless it holds a currently effective authorization from its homeland for such operations, 

and it has filed a copy of such authorization with the Department;

(2) Comply with all applicable requirements of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Transportation Security 

Administration, and with all applicable U.S. Government requirements concerning security, including, but not limited to, 

14 CFR Parts 129, 91, and 36 and 49 CFR Part 1546 or 1550, as applicable. To assure compliance with all applicable 

U.S. Government requirements concerning security, the holder shall, before commencing any new service (including 

charter flights) from a foreign airport that would be the holder’s last point of departure for the United States, contact its

International Industry Representative (IIR) (formerly referred to as International Principal Security Inspector) to advise 

the IIR of its plans and to find out whether the Transportation Security Administration has determined that security is 

adequate to allow such airport(s) to be served;

(3) Comply with the requirements for minimum insurance coverage contained in 14 CFR Part 205, and, prior to the 

commencement of any operations under this authority, file evidence of such coverage, in the form of a completed OST 

Form 6411, with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Program Management Branch (AFS-260), Flight Standards 

Service (any changes to, or termination of, insurance also shall be filed with that office);

(4) Not operate aircraft under this authority unless it complies with operational safety requirements at least equivalent to 

Annex 6 of the Chicago Convention;

(5) Conform to the airworthiness and airman competency requirements of its Government for international air services;

(6) Except as specifically exempted or otherwise provided for in a Department Order, comply with the requirements of 14 

CFR Part 203, concerning waiver of Warsaw Convention liability limits and defenses;

(7) Agree that operations under this authority constitute a waiver of sovereign immunity, for the purposes of 28 U.S.C. 

1605(a), but only with respect to those actions or proceedings instituted against it in any court or other tribunal in the 

United States that are: (a) based on its operations in international air transportation that, according to the contract of 

carriage, include a point in the United States as a point of origin, point of destination, or agreed stopping place, or for 

which the contract of carriage was purchased in the United States; or (b) based on a claim under any international 

agreement or treaty cognizable in any court or other tribunal of the United States. In this condition, the term 

"international air transportation" means "international transportation" as defined by the Warsaw Convention, except that 

all States shall be considered to be High Contracting Parties for the purpose of this definition;

(8) Except as specifically authorized by the Department, originate or terminate all flights to/from the United States in its

homeland;

(9) Comply with the requirements of 14 CFR Part 217, concerning the reporting of scheduled, nonscheduled, and charter 

data;

(10) If charter operations are authorized, except as otherwise provided in the applicable aviation agreement, comply with 

the Department's rules governing charters (including 14 CFR Parts 212 and 380); and

(11) Comply with such other reasonable terms, conditions, and limitations required by the public interest as may be 

prescribed by the Department, with all applicable orders or regulations of other U.S. agencies and courts, and with all 

applicable laws of the United States.

This authority shall not be effective during any period when the holder is not in compliance with the conditions imposed 

above. Moreover, this authority cannot be sold or otherwise transferred without explicit Department approval under Title 

49 of the U.S. Code.

12/2007
Appendix B

The code-share operations authorized here are subject to the following conditions:

(a) The statement of authorization granted to Compass will remain in effect only as long as (i) Compass and 

Aeromexico continue to hold the necessary underlying authority to operate the code-share services at issue, and (ii) 

the code-share agreement providing for the code-share operations remains in effect.

(b) Compass, Delta, and/or Aeromexico, as appropriate, must notify the Department no later than 30 days before 

they begin any new code-share service under the code-share services authorized here. Such notice shall identify the 

market(s) to be served, which carrier will be operating the aircraft in the code-share market added, and the date on 

which the service will begin. Such notice should be filed in Dockets DOT-OST-1997-3289 and DOT-OST-2000-

7708.

1

(c) Compass, Delta, and/or Aeromexico, as appropriate, must promptly notify the Department if the code-share agreement 

providing for the code-share operations is no longer effective or if the carriers decide to cease operating all or a portion of 

the approved code-share services. Such notice should be filed in Dockets DOT-OST-1997-3289 and DOT-OST-2000-

7708.

2

(d) The code-sharing operations conducted under this authority must comply with 14 CFR 257 and with any amendments 

to the Department’s regulations concerning code-share arrangements that may be adopted. Notwithstanding any 

provisions in the contract between the carriers, our approval here is expressly conditioned upon the requirements that the 

subject foreign air transportation be sold in the name of the carrier holding out such service in the computer reservation 

systems and elsewhere; that the carrier selling such transportation (i.e., the carrier shown on the ticket) accept 

responsibility for the entirety of the code-share journey for all obligations established in its contract of carriage with the 

passenger; and that the passenger liability of the operating carrier be unaffected.

(e) The authority granted here is specifically conditioned so that neither Compass, Delta, nor Aeromexico shall give any 

force or effect to any contractual provisions between themselves that are contrary to these conditions.

We may amend, modify, or revoke the authority granted at any time without hearing at our discretion.

 1 The applicants request that any point notice given for one Delta/Delta Connection carrier be deemed notice for Delta, ExpressJet 

Airlines, Inc., Endeavor Air, Inc., and Compass with respect to that point as served via any of Aeromexico’s authorized U.S. 

gateways. The applicants further incorporate by reference all previous beyond-gateway point notices provided in the captioned 

dockets as notice with respect to Compass. 2 We expect this notification to be received within ten (10) days after such non-effectiveness or of such decision.