### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WAS H ING T ON , D C 20590

The Honorable Tammy Baldwin United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Baldwin: May 9, 2014

Thank you for your letter regarding se rvice from Madison 's Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) to Ronald Reagan Wa s hington National Airport ( DCA ), which had been operated by Republic Airlines ( Republic ) under an agree m en t with Frontier Airline s through January 31, 2014. On January 6, 2014, Republic , along with Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines, all wholly

- owned subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc., filed a joint proposal to continue service from Madison to DCA , operating as Delta Connection. I am plea sed to tell you that on March 4, 2014 , the Depatiment i ss u e d Order 2014-3-3, allowing Republic to reta in the slot exemptions that it u ses for the service. The requisite Federal Aviation Administration authority was is s ued the next day. As such, Shuttle America , operating as Delta C01mection, will be ab le to continue providing nonstop MSN-DCA se rvice. As is our standard practice , I am placing a copy of yo ur letter and my respon se in docket numbers DOT-OST -1999-6240 and DOT-OST-2013-0086 , as a contact outside the record of this case. I hop e thi s information is helpful. A si milar respon se has been sent to each cosigne r of your letter. Sincerely,

Anthony R
. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, DC 20590



### The Honorable Ron Johnson United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Johnson: May 9, 2014

Thank you for your letter regarding service from Madison's Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) to Rona ld R eagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which h ad been operated b y Republic Air lin es (Republic) under an agreement with Frontier Airlines through January 31 , 2014. On January 6, 2014 , Republic , along with Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines , all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings , Inc. , filed a joint proposal to continue se rv ice from Madison to DCA , operating as Delta Co nnection. I am pleased to tell you that on March 4, 2014, the Department issued Order 2014-3-3 , allowing Republic to retain the s lot exemptions that it uses for the se rvice. The requisite Federal Aviation Administration authority was issued the next day. As such, Shuttle America , operating as Delta Connectio n , w ill be a bl e to continue providing nonstop MSN-DCA service. As is our standard practice , I am placing a co py of yo ur letter and my re spo n se in docket number s DOT-OST -1 999-6240 and DOT-OST-201 3

- 0086 , a s a contact outs ide the r ecord ofthis case. I hope this information is h e lpful. A similar response ha s been s ent to eac h cosigner of yo ur letter. Sincerely,

Anthony R. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATIO N WAS H I NG T O N , D C 2 0 590

The Honor abl e To m Petri U.S. H o u se of R e p rese nt ati v es W a s hin g ton , D C 20 515 D e ar Co n g ress m an P e tri: Ma y 9, 20 14

T hank yo u f o r y o ur l e tter r egar din g se rv ic e from M a di so n ' s Dan e Co unt y Regio n al A ir po rt (MS N) t o R o n a ld R ea gan W as hing to n Na tion a l A irp o t1 ( D CA) , w hi c h h a d been o p e r at ed by Re pu b li c A irlin es ( R e publi c) un der an agree m e n t wi th Fron t ier Airl i n e s through J an u ary 3 1 , 2 014
. On J an u ary 6, 20 1 4 , R e publi c , a lo n g w ith S h u ttl e A m er ica an d Chautauqua A irlin e s, a ll w h o ll y - ow n ed s u bs idiari es of Re publi c A irways H o ld in gs , Inc., fil e d a jo in t propo s al to c o nti n ue se rvic e f r o m M a di so n to D C A , o p e r a tin g a s D e lt a Co nn ec ti o n. I a m p l e a s e d to te ll yo u t h at o n March 4 , 2 014 , th e D e p a rtm e nt i ss u e d O rd e r 2 01 4

- 3

- 3 , a ll owi n g Re p ub li c to retain t h e s lo t exe mpti o n s th at i t uses f o r t h e serv ice . T h e req ui s i t e Fe d e r a l A v iat io n Admini s trat i on auth o rity was i s s u ed the n ex t day. As s u c h , S hu tt le Ame rica , opera ti ng a s D e lt a Connect i on, will be able to continu e p rov idin g n o n s t o p M SN -D CA s e rv ice . As i s o u r sta nd ard pr ac ti ce, I am p l ac ing a cop y of y o ur l e tter and m y res pon s e in d ocket numb e r s D O T

- O S T -1999- 62 40 a nd D O T -OS T

- 2 01 3- 00 86 , as a co nt a c t ou t s ide th e re co r d of thi s case . I h o p e thi s inf o rm a ti o n i s h e ! pfu l. A s im i lar re s po n se has bee n s ent to eac h co si gner of y our l etter . Si n ce re ly ,

A nth ony R
. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WAS HIN GTO N , D C 20590



### The Honorable Gwen Moore U.S. House of Representatives Washington , D C 20515 Dear Co ngres swoman Moore: May 9, 2014

Thank you for your l etter regarding se rvice fro m Madison's Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) to Ronald Reagan Washington Nation a l Airport (DCA), wh ic h had been operated by Repub li c Airlines (Republic) und er an agreement w ith Fro nti er Ai rlin es through January 31,2014. On J an uar y 6 , 20 14 , Republic, a long w ith Shuttle A m erica and Chautauqua A irlin es , a ll who ll y - own ed subs i d i aries of Republic Airways Holdings , Inc. , filed a joint proposa l to continue service from Madison t o DCA, ope r atin g as Delta Connection. I am plea sed to te ll yo u t hat on March 4, 20 14 , the Department issued Order 20 14- 3

- 3, a ll ow in g Republic to r e tain th e slot exempt ion s that it u ses for th e service
. T h e requisit e Federa l Aviation Adm ini s tr ati on authorit y was i ssued the next d ay . As s u c h , Shuttle America , operat in g as Del ta Connection, w ill be able to continue providing nonstop MSN-DCA service. As i s our standard practice , I am placing a copy of yo ur letter and m y respo n se in docket numbers DOT

- OST -1999-6240 and DOT -O ST

- 2 0 1 3

- 0086 , as a contact outside the reco rd of th i s case. I hope th i s in formatio n i s h elpfu l. A s imil ar re s pon se h as be e n sent to each cosig ne r of yo ur letter.

Anth ony R. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WAS HIN G T O N , D C 2 0 59 0



### The Honorable Sean P. Duffy U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Duffy: May 9, 2014

Thank you for your letter regarding service from Madison's Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), which had been operated by Republic Airlines (Republic) under an agreement with Frontier Airlines through January 31,2014. On January 6, 2014, Republic , along with Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines, all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc., filed a joint propo s al to continue service from Madison to DCA, operating as Delta Connection. I am pleased to tell you that on March 4 , 2014, the Department issued Order 2014-3-3, allowing Republic to retain the s lot exemptions that it uses for the service. The requisite Federal Aviation Administration authority was issued the next day. As such, Shuttle America, operating as Delta Connection, will be able to continue providing nonstop MSN-DCA service. As is our standard practice , I am placing a copy of your letter and m y response in docket numbers DOT-OST-1999-6240 and DOT-OST-2013-0086 , as a contact outside the record ofthis case. I hope this information is helpful. A similar respon se has been se nt to each cos igner of you r letter.

Anthony R. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASH I NGTON , DC 2 05 9 0



### The Honorable Ron Kind U.S. House of Representatives Washington , DC 20515 Dear Congressman Kind: May 9, 2014

Thank you for your letter regarding service from Madison ' s Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) , which had been operated by Republic Airlines (Republic) under an agreement with Frontier Airlines tlu·ough January 31 , 2014. On January 6, 2014 , Republic , along with Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines, all wholly-owned subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings , Inc. , filed a joint proposal to continue service from Madison to DCA, operating as Delta Connection. I am pleased to tell you that on March 4 , 2014, the Department issued Order 2014-3-3 , allowing Republic to retain the slot exemptions that it uses for the service. The requisite Federal Aviation Administration authority was issued the next day. As such , Shuttle America , operating as D e lta Connection , will be able to continue providing nonstop MSN-DCA service. As is our standard practice , I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in docket number s DOT-OST -1999-6240 and DOT -OST-2013-0086 , as a contact outside the record of this case. I hope this information is helpful. A similar response has been s ent to each cosigner of your letter. Sincerely ,

Anthony R. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASH I NGTON , DC 2 0590

The Honorable Reid J. Ribble U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Ribble: May 9, 2014

Thank you for your letter regarding serv i ce from Madison's Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) to Ronald Reagan Washington Nationa l Airport (DCA), which had been operated by Republic Airlines (Republic) under an agreement w ith Frontier Airlines through January 31 , 2014. On January 6, 2014 , Republic , along with Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines, all wholly

- owned subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holdings, Inc. , filed a joint proposal to continue service from Madison to DCA, operating as Delta Connection. I am pleased to tell you that on March 4, 2014, th e Department issued Order 2014-3-3 , allowing Republic to retain the slot exemptions that it uses for the service. The requisite Federal Aviation Administration authorit y was issued the next day. As such , Shuttle America , operating as Delta Connection , will be able to continue providin g nonstop MSN-DCA service. As is our standa rd practice , I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in docket numbers DOT -OST -1999-6240 and DOT -OST-2013-0086 , as a contact outside the record of this case. I hope th i s information is helpful. A simi lar re spo n se has been sent to each co s igner of your letter. Sincerely ,

Anthony R. Foxx

### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WA SH I NG TO N , D C 2 0 5 9 0

The Honorable Mark Pocan U.S. House of Representatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Pocan: May 9, 20 1 4

Thank yo u for your letter regarding service from Mad i son's Dan e County Regiona l Airport (MSN) to Ronald Reagan Washington Nationa l Airport (DCA), which had been operated by Republic Airlines (Republic) under an agreement with Frontier Airlines th rough January 31 , 2014. On January 6, 2014 , Republic , along with Shuttle America and Chautauqua Airlines , all who ll y -own ed subsidiaries of Republic Airways Holding s , Inc. , fi led a joint propo sa l to continue service from Madison to DCA, operating as Delta Co nnection. I am p lease d to tell you that on March 4 , 2014 , the Department i ss ued Order 20 14- 3-3, a ll ow in g Republic to retain the slo t exemptions that it us es for the service. The requisite Federal Avi atio n Administration authority was i ss ued the next day. As such, Shuttle America , operating as Delta C01mection, wi ll be able to continue providing nonstop MSN-DCA service. As i s our standard practice, I am placing a copy of yo ur letter and my re sponse i n docket numbers DOT-OST-1999-6240 and DOT-OST-2013-0086 , as a contact outside the record oft hi s case. I hope this information is helpful. A s imil ar response ha s been se nt to each cosigner of you r letter.

Anthony R. Foxx

## ~ongress 

# of tbe 1lntteb**~tates** '([!IDfaS'fJington, ll)f£ 

### 20510

The Hon o rabl e Anth o ny Fox x Se cretary U.S. Dep artmen t o f Tra ns p o rtation 1 2 00 New J ersey Ave nu e SE W

as hin g to n , DC 2 0 59 0 D ea r Secr etary Fo xx a nd A dmini str ato r Hu ert a : Decem ber 1 2,2 01 3 Th e Hon o rabl e M ic hae l P
. Hu er ta Admini strator Fe de ra l Av iati o n Admini stra tion 8 00 In de p end ence Av enu e S W W

as hin gto n , D C 2 0 59 1

We writ e to yo u tod ay ab o ut th e imp orta nce of a ir serv ic e to s m a ll c o mmuniti es and in p arti c ul ar, ab o ut co ntinu ed n

o n s t o p se rv ice to D a n e Co un ty Reg iona l A irp or t (MS N ) in Mad iso n, Wi s c ons in fi ·o m Was hin g to n , D C. As y ou may know, R e publi c Airlin es curre ntl y o p er at es d a il y no ns t op se rv ice f r o m MSN to W as hin g t o n Reaga n Na tion a l Airp ort ( DCA) under a n agr ee ment with Fro nt ie r Airli nes. Alth o u g h thi s se r vic e i s p o pul ar a nd we lluti l i zed, Fro nti e r was r ece ntl y s old t o a priv ate equit y fi rm and w ill t ermin at e th e ag ree m e nt with R e publi c a n d service t o DCA in Fe bru ary 20 1 4. H oweve r , we und ers ta n d th at R e publi c's s i s t e r ca rri er, S huttl e Am er i ca wo uld li ke to c ontinu e direc t fli g ht s to DCA un de r t he De lt a Co nn ec ti on bra nd. In l ig ht of thi s d evelo pm e nt , we urge yo u to e ns ure t h at S huttl e Am erica is a ll owe d to utili ze th e s lo t s in qu es t io n f or no n sto p se rvice rro m MSN to DC A
. Co ntinu ed MSN -D CA serv ice is criti ca ll y imp o rt a nt to Ma di so n , Wi sco n s in a nd s urroun d in g c o mmunitie s. It h e lps c onn ec t bu s in ess a nd le i s u re trave l e rs rro m th e state c a pit a l, to th e nati o n 's cap it a l, state o ffi c ia l s to th e ir federa l c ounterparts, and prov i des fac ulty, resea rc hers a n d st ud e nt s a t th e U ni ve r s ity of Wis c o ns in co nv en ie nt ac c ess to f ede ra l agenc i es in an d aro un d Was h i ng t o n, DC. In add iti o n , if S huttl e Am e ri ca i s no t a ll owe d to c ontinu e serv ice t o DCA, M adi son will l ose it s o nl y dire ct fli g ht to a W as hin g t o n , DC ar ea a ir p o rt . We kn ow y ou sh are o ur c ommi t m ent to protec tin g a ir serv ice to th e nati o n 's s ma ll c o mmuniti es a nd yo ur lea de rship in thi s area i s es p ec ia ll y imp orta nt du e to th e l ates t cut backs in a ir se rvice to t h ese co mmuniti es. A rece nt s tud y by the Ma ssac hu se tts In stitu te of Tec hn o l ogy (M I T) f oun d th at sm all-hub a irp 01 1 s li ke Mad i s on have see n th e ir a ir se rvic e redu ce d o ve r th e las t s ix year s. Acc ordin g t o th e MIT s tu dy, be t wee n 2 00 7 and 2 01 2 sc hedul ed d o m es tic fli g hts to s m a ll hub a irp o rt s sa w an 1 8 p er ce nt declin e . Depart ures f ro m Ma di so n dec rease d by 2 0 pe rc e nt durin g thi s time p e riod and av ail a bl e se at s sa w a 1 5 p er ce nt redu c ti o n . G ive n thi s redu c ti o n in servi c e, it is cri t ica l t hat th e MSN to D CA se rvi ce is m a int a in ed
. We lo o k f o rward to wo rkin g w ith yo u t o ma inta in a n d ex pa nd a ir se r vi ce t o s mall hub a irports like Madiso n . A

cc o rdin g l y, we re s p ectfull y re que s t th at th e Dep a rtm e nt a llo w th e D CA s l o ts c utTe ntl y ope rated b y R epublic A irlin es und e r th e agree m e nt w ith F ro nti er A irli nes to b e used b y S huttl e Am e ri ca und e r De lt a Co nn ec ti o n . Th ank y ou fo r y our att enti o n to thi s import a nt m att er a nd w e look f o r wa rd to yo ur r es p o n se. S inc e re ly,

Ron John so



### 510-131212-007Tom Petri Member of Congress

GwenMo l!1 Member of Congress

Member of Congress

Cc: John Porcari, Deputy Secretary, Department of Transportation

# ~~ Ron Kind

Member of Congress

Su s an Kurland , Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs , Department ofTran s portation Kathryn Thomson, Acting General Coun s e l , Department of Transportation



### 510-131212-007