THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATJ():N,'\

The Honorable Bill Flores U.S. HouseofRepresentatives Washington, DC 20515



### Dear Congressman Flores: WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590

Aprill9, 2012 v l 

### 0

Thank you for your letter supporting the application of Southwest Airlines for two beyondperimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Southwest"s application proposes to serve Austin-Bergstrom International Airport with one round trip per day from DCA,

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Aet of2012, the U.S. Department of Transportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent carriers a total of eight slot exemptions at DCA, which would support four daily round trips.

We re¢eived Southwest's application ott March 12. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver1 British Columbia; Alaska Airlines, one round trip to**Portlan~** Oregon. and one round trip to San Diego; Frontier**Airlines~** one round trip
to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; J etBiue Airlines, one round trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one round trip to Austin, Texas; Sun Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc .• two round trips to San Francisco.

As the matter is still pending1 I**c~ot** comment o.n the merits of the 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 on this 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 · nse · ocket number DOT -2012-0(l29.

I appreciate your interest in this- 'f/1 "**~·** 8lLL FLORES Ml!llliSI!R Of**(:Of'4GRI'i~S .1~t!t~·**  TelWl**.c~MirTSION 'Fi'IJ;i~QP~T** **COMMl'fl'EEQN.N~T~~!. Fii;$Pliffl:~E$** **$\ii\C~MI- 0~** **·~JIIt;lll!~ Af'!P~II\Idlll\~** **f\li$QU~ t51l5UiNi:l~:ti'IHPwt** **<:)'g~Ji .,UII:I)I~**  Wllistlln'tf:lN,OC20015 !201)'2&ia'fCll

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### Dear Secretary LaHood: March 2a1 

### ZDlZ COM MITTel ON**V,ni!MNI~ 1\FFAI~** **SullCO~·cOI>i Qj!~f!I>IIIIHfA.Wli'IY!i!iTIIIIA11Qf'!S** 

1 

### write in 

### support ofSouthwest Ajrlines'**~ppllcation** 

### f()r a pftir**ofbe~nd,..p'erimeterslot** 

### exen1ptiG>ns between RG>nald Reagan WaS{lington NationaiAirpott: (DCA) and A'UStin-Betgstrom Intemati.G>nal Airport (AUS). Witb these**bey~nd** 

### .. perimeter slot exemptions, Soutln.vest pmposes to operatethefirst'-ever**~'capital-toMcap.ital"** 

### nonstop.fligbtbetween.Austin and DCA. lbelieve such service is lQng overdue and deserving ofyour !Jepanment''s favorable consideration.

Southwest has operated atAustin:-Bergstrom lntemation:at AirpG>tt: (ABIA) since 1977. 

### However, despite a strong overall level G>fCOnlpetition atABIA, theairpm·t currently lack$ nonstop service to DCA. 

### As a result, current travel options between ABIA and DCA ,are limited and relatively expensive.

Southwest's 

### proposal would provide much needed service between these two ·Qapital ciities; Moreover, Southwest proposes using a Boeing 73.7.;;8.00 

### aircraft with 

### 17$ seats to serve this.**t<)ute~**



### .**~~c~. wiltinQre~¢.** **capacity:sigbificantl~dn,the~A~~~n:-** 

### Wruibington,

..**l}Q~at:ket** 

### 'and maximize the use 

### of scarce beyond-perimeter slot 

### exemptiG>ns. It 

### will also increase 

### job opportunities in 

### G>rder to service the. new daily flight and to accommodate the increase in passenger traffic;

It 

### is my 

### hope that.Southwest'.s applicatiun will 

### receive every fair and p:tG>per consideratiG>n. Thank 

### you for 

### your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Bill Flores Member of CG>ngress**a.n't'AAICot.~et~~l! srn.'l'lt~~l\l**  2®0 sowTI<i**T~~** 1\lii!NtiE..**~t~m: "~**  IJA'I'Af\1, TX77lroo2**flliCINE:(919110~7** Oli!UtlfiNI!

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