U.S. Department of Transportation Office ofthe Secretary ofTransportation Mr. Pedro J. Gonzalez President Board ofDirectors Assistant Secretary April 27, 2012

Asociati6n de Hospitales de Puerto Rico Villa Nevarez Professional Center Suite 101 San Juan, PR 00907
Dear Mr. Gonzalez:
Thank you for your letter to Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application ofJetBlue Airways for beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). JetBlue's application proposes to serve Luis Munoz Marin Airport, Puerto Rico, with one round trip per day from DCA. Secretary LaHood asked me to respond to your letter.
Under authority granted inthe FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent carriers a total ofeight slot exemptions at DCA, which would support four daily round trips.
We received JetBlue's application, which also proposes one daily round trip to Austin, Texas, on March 12. 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 a.Q.d beyond to San Diego; Southwest Airlines, one round trip to Austin and San Diego beyond; Sunl'Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc., two round trips to San Francisco.
As the matter is still pending, I cannot comment onthe merits ofthe points raised in your letter. However, I can 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 onthis matter is being administered through a public docket, which allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, I am placing a copy ofyour letter and this response indocket number DOT-2012-0029.
I appreciate your interest in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Susan 

### L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs

### The**H~bfe** 

### Ray 

### LaHOOd 8Eleret$ry

.. 

### US Department of**Tran~poitation**



### ...**120o~ewJ~~~** 

### Avenue 

# se ·,.W.l\\hl:Jtdnae ;aosto Dear Mr.Secretary 

### I am writing to you to 

### express supportfor the 

### appllcartfoo by 

### JetBlue AJnMJys

### for exemption stot$:at**Wa~ln;ton, OCY~t'Rc:mald** **f{e~an** 

### Washington National 

### Airport (DCA), 

### fOr non&top**s~ice** to**~an** 

### Julln, Puerto. 

### Rico. JetStue'S plan 

### to off&l' 

### daily, roundtrip 

### setViee will preViae our Orpnizatlon with the nonstopacces; 

### to the natio.n's capitaUhatwe have long sought. J&tBJue is Puerto 

### Rieo!s lOw fare,· 

### hometown airline; Since .J&t8Jue's 

### ·firSt ·flight 

### in 20021 their 

### nonstop. tar;ej&t Set\fice 

### has expanded in the states 

### from JFK**to·B()St~n.** 

### Hartford.**Newer~** 

### F.ort Lauderdale, West Patm Beam. Orfando, Tampa and Jacksonville. They have 

### also expanded 

### to**k~ ~~-·tn**  

### our region, .Including 

### StThomas. St Croix. St Maarten 

### and 

## Santo Domingo 

### In tbe**Domintcarf~lio.** 

### ,J$tBlue afso partners

### wifh Oape Air

### foraad'rtton.al regional service connecting llSanJuan. · The 

### leVel ·Of Set\fice'

### from San 

### Juan to Washington has 

### deaeased o"er 

### the**~·** 

### and fares have risen. The 

### limited nonstop**s~ice** 

### is to either BWI. or 

### DuUes, quite distant 

### from downtown Washington and government**officeS~** 

### The addition ofthi.s unique nonstop1 a

### first Of its klndJ would be 

### of

### great 

### benefitto our

## company and indeed all Puerto 

### Rico**resid~nts'**

### and

## •ttol'S, lurgt:l YQti 

### to award .JetSiue the necessary slots to 

### terve DCA on a nonstop basis ftom San Juan, 

### Puerto Rteo. , .