U.S. Department ofTransportation Office ofthe Secretary ofTransportation
The Honorable JeffColeman Mayor ofPflugerville I00 East Main Street Pflugerville, Texas 78660
Dear Mayor Coleman: Assistant Secretary
April 20, 2012 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington. DC 20590

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Thankyou for your letterto Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the award of beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to be used for nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. Secretary LaHood asked me to respond to your letter. Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Refonn Act of2012, the U.S. DepartmentofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent carriers atotal ofeight slotexemptions at DCA, which would support four daily round trips.
We received applications proposing to serve AUS from two carriers, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Each soughttwo slot exemptions, which would support one daily DCA-AUS round trip; JetBiue also applied for two slot exemptions to serve San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Alaska Airlines, one round trip to Portland, Oregon, and one round trip to San Diego; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; Sun Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc., two roundtrips to San Francisco. As the matter is still pending, Icannotcommenton the merits ofthe points raised in your letter. However, Ican assure you that all applications the Department received will be given full and fair consideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute. The Department's action on this matter is being administered through a public docket, which allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, Iam placing acopy ofyour letterand this response in docket number DOT-2012-0029.
Iappreciate yourinterest in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International AffairsThe Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590
Re: Docket No. DOT-OST-2012-0029.
DearMr. Secretary, March 21, 2012

As Mayor ofthe city ofPflugerville, Texas I am writing to express my strong support for applications that have been submitted to provide daily nonstop roundtrip flights between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. Pflugerville is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in Central Texas and is approximately 14 miles north ofAustin. Pflugerville is a suburb ofAustin and part ofthe Austin-Round Rock Metropolitan Statistical Area. Economic development in the Austin area has resulted in extremelyrapid expansion in Pfluge1ville and ourpopulation has tripled since the 2000 census. Atpresent nonstop service from ourregion to Washington DC is limited to flights to Washington (Dulles) or Baltimore/Washington International Airport. Those flights are inconvenient for travelers who have aneed to visit Federal Government offices, legislators ororganizations located in the District ofColumbia and for residents ofthe District ofColumbia who want to vacation in ourregion. In orderto fly in or out ofDCA, these travelers must make time-consuming connections.
Award ofbeyond-perimeter slot exemptions for nonstop servicebetween AustinBergstrom International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airp011 will improve the travel options for all the residents and businesses in Pfluge1ville and all of Central Texas.
Irespectfully urge you to grant slot exemptions to an airline that will provide nonstop AUS-DCA service. 

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CITYOF PFLUGERVILLE P.O.Box589 STREET ADDRESS: 100 East Main Street Pflugerville, TX 78660 TEL:512.990.4363 FAX:512.990.4364 www.cityofpflugerville.com