ZUCKERT SCOUTT & RASENBERGER, L.L.P. ATTORNEYS AT LAW

888 Seventeenth Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006-3309

Telephone [202] 298-8660 Fax [202] 342-0683

www.zsrlaw.com

 

January 23, 2013

BY ELECTRONIC MAIL

Esta Rosenberg

Chief, U.S. Air Carrier Licensing Division

Robert Finamore

Chief, Foreign Carrier Licensing Division

U.S. Department of Transportation

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E.

Washington, D.C. 20590

Re: El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. and American Airlines, Inc. (Docket DOTOST-2007-0095) 

Dear Ms. Rosenberg and Mr. Finamore,

El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. (“El Al”) and American Airlines, Inc. (“American”) hold 

statements of authorization in the above-referenced docket permitting them to engage in 

reciprocal code-sharing services. Notice of Action Taken, March 28, 2008. On December 8, 

2011, El Al and American submitted a blanket codeshare notification to the docket. At the time 

the notification was made, Israel had a Category 2 rating under the Federal Aviation 

Administration’s International Aviation Safety Assessment (“IASA”) program, limiting El Al 

and American to LY*/AA code-sharing operations. 

On November 1, 2012, the FAA announced that Israel was upgraded to a Category 1 

IASA rating. A copy of the FAA’s press release is attached. El Al is pleased to inform the 

Department that AA*/LY code-sharing operations will resume on March 31, 2013, on the 

following routes:

• Between Tel Aviv (TLV) and New York John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK), Los 

Angeles (LAX), and Newark (EWR);

• Between Tel Aviv (TLV) and the European gateways in London (LHR), Paris 

(CDG), Madrid (MAD), Frankfurt (FRA) and Rome (FCO); and,

• Between Barcelona (BCN), Zurich (ZRH), Milan (MXP) and Tel Aviv (TLV).

A copy of this letter will be submitted to the docket and to all persons set forth on the 

attached certificate of service. 
Esta Rosenberg/Robert Finamore

January 23, 2013

Page 2

Sincerely,

 

 

Malcolm L. Benge

David M. Endersbee

Counsel for El Al Israel Airlines Ltd. 
Press Release – FAA Upgrades Israel’s Aviation 

Safety Rating to Category 1

For Immediate Release

November 1, 2012

Contact: Laura Brown laura.j.brown@faa.gov

Phone: (202) 267-3883

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation

Administration (FAA) today announced that Israel complies with international safety standards 

set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), based on the results of an October 

FAA review of Israel’s civil aviation authority.

Israel is now upgraded to Category 1 from the Category 2 safety rating the country received from 

the FAA in December 2008. Israel’s civil aviation authority worked with the FAA on an action 

plan so that its safety oversight system fully complies with ICAO’s standards and practices.

A Category 1 rating means the country’s civil aviation authority complies with ICAO standards. 

A Category 2 rating means a country either lacks laws or regulations necessary to oversee air 

carriers in accordance with minimum international standards, or that its civil aviation authority –

equivalent to the FAA for aviation safety matters – is deficient in one or more areas, such as 

technical expertise, trained personnel, record keeping or inspection procedures.

With the International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) Category 1 rating, Israeli air carriers 

can add flights and service to the United States and carry the code of U.S. carriers. With the 

Category 2 rating, Israeli air carriers were allowed to maintain existing service to the United 

States, but could not establish new services.

As part of the FAA’s IASA program, the agency assesses the civil aviation authorities of all 

countries with air carriers that operate or have applied to fly to the United States and makes that 

information available to the public. The assessments determine whether or not foreign civil 

aviation authorities are meeting ICAO safety standards, not FAA regulations.

In order to maintain a Category 1 rating, countries with air carriers that fly to the United States 

must adhere to the safety standards of ICAO, the United Nations’ technical agency for aviation 

that establishes international standards and recommended practices for aircraft operations and 

maintenance. IASA information is at www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/iasa/.

###

http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=14052
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that on this 23rd day of January 2013, a copy of the foregoing was served by email on the 

parties named below:

Lorraine B. Halloway

Gerald F. Murphy

Counsel for Continental/United Airlines

Crowell & Moring LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004-2595

lhalloway@crowell.com

gmurphy@crowell.com

Dan Weiss

Managing Director – International &

 Regulatory Affairs

United Air Lines

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQIZ

Chicago, IL 60601

dan.weiss@united.com

Stephen J. Morrissey

Managing Director, Regulatory and

 Policy

United Air Lines, Inc.

1225 New York Avenue, NW - DCAIZ

Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005

steve.morrissey@united.com

Jonathan T. Linde

Managing Director & Senior Counsel-

 Regulatory

United Air Lines, Inc.

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQLD

16th Floor

Chicago, IL 60601

jonathan.linde@united.com

Anita Mosner

Jennifer Nowak

Counsel for United Parcel Service

Holland & Knight

800 17th Street, N.W.

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

anita.mosner@hklaw.com

jennifer.nowak@hklaw.com

Alexander Van Der Bellen

Sametta C. Barnett

Delta Air Lines

1212 New York Avenue, NW

Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20005

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com

Sametta.c.barnett@delta.com

John L. Richardson

Joan Canny

Counsel for Amerijet International

John L. Richardson, P.L.L.C.

555 13th Street, N.W.

Suite 420 West

Washington, D.C. 20004

jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com

jCanny@amerijet.com

Kelli Bryan

Ranjit Seth

Robert Foster

Charter Sales

Evergreen International Airlines, Inc.

3850 Three Mile Lane

McMinnville, OR 97128

charters@evergreenairlines.com

ranjit.seth@evergreenairlines.com

chris.schuldt@evergreenhelicopters.com 

philip.Church@evergreenhelicopters.com

robert.foster@evergreenairlines.com

Brian S. Gillman

Senior Vice President

 and General Counsel

World Airways, Inc.

101 World Drive

Peachtree City, GA 30269-6965

bgillman@glah.com

Angeline Garbuzinski

Legal and Regulatory Affairs

Federal Express Corporation

3620 Hacks Cross Road

Building B, 3rd Floor

Memphis, TN 38125

anbird@fedex.com

cefelts@fedex.com
2

Timothy Erickson

Safety and Regulatory Affairs

Air Transport International LLC

2800 Cantrell Road

Little Rock, AR 72202

timothy.erickson@airtransport.cc

Howard Kass

Managing Director & Associate General

 Counsel

US Airways

1401 H Street, N.W.

Suite 1075

Washington, D.C. 20006

Howard.kass@usairways.com

John M. Allen

Director

Flight Standards Service

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Room 821

Washington, D.C. 20591

john.allen@faa.gov 

Aaron Goerlich

Counsel for Allegiant Air, Ryan 

 International Airlines and Southern Air

Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC

1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW

Suite 800

Washington, D.C. 20036-6802

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com

Robert P. Silverberg

Jeffrey Johnson

Counsel for ABX Air

Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P.

1101 30th Street, N.W.

Suite 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

rsilverberg@sgbdc.com

jjohnson@sgbdc.com

Marshall S. Sinick

Counsel for Alaska Airlines and Florida 

 West International Airways

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 500

Washington, D.C. 20004

msinick@ssd.com

Russell E. Pommer

Associate General Counsel and

 Director of Regulatory Affairs

Atlas Air, Inc.

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 875

Washington, D.C 20006

rpommer@atlasair.com

Mark W. Atwood

Counsel for Kalitta Air and Xtra Airways

Cozen O’Connor

Army Navy Building

1627 I Street, NW

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

matwood@cozen.com

ldunn@xtraairways.com

Jonathan B. Hill

Counsel for Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue

Dow Lohnes 

1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W.

Suite 800

Washington, DC 20036-6802

jhill@dowlohnes.com

John S. Fredericksen

Vice President and General Counsel

MN Airlines, LLC dba Sun Country

 Airlines

1300 Mendota Heights Road

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

john.fredericksen@suncountry.com

Joanne W. Young

Counsel for Spirit Airlines

Kirstein & Young PLLC

1001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Suite 600 South

Washington, DC 20004

jyoung@yklaw.com 

John R. Mietus, Jr.

Counsel for Centurion Air Cargo and Trade 

 Winds Airlines

Law Office of John Mietus, LLC

6701 Democracy Boulevard

Suite 300

Bethesda, MD 20817

john@mietuslaw.com
3

Kevin Montgomery

Peter Beckett

Polar Air Cargo, Inc.

1747 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 875

Washington, D.C 20006

kevin.montgomery@ polaraircargo.com

peter.beckett@polaraircargo.com

Michael F. Goldman

Counsel for Capital Cargo International 

 Airlines

Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P.

1101 30th Street, N.W.

Suite 120

Washington, D.C. 20007

mgoldman@sgbdc.com

_________________________

David M. Endersbee