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OCT 2 5 2 m 

Mr. Robert C. Meade 

President & CEO 

Doctors Hospital of Sarasota 

5731 Bee Ridge Road 

Sarasota, FL 34233 

Dear Mr. Meade: 

Thank you for your letter of October 6 to Secretary LaHood supporting AirTran Airways, 

Inc. (AirTran) to serve Sarasota, Florida, in the ongoing slot-exemption proceeding at 

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The Secretary has asked that I 

respond to your letter directly. 

As you know, the U.S. Department of Transportation commenced a proceeding on 

August 30 to reallocate two DCA slot exemptions that are currently being used by 

Republic Airline, Inc. (Republic). Republic has been using these two slot exemptions for 

DCA - Kansas City service. These slot exemptions may be used to serve any medium 

hub or smaller airport within the 1,250-mile perimeter of DCA. 

We have received a total of five proposals, briefly outlined below: 

• Sun Country to serve Lansing, Michigan, with 129- or 162-seat aircraft; 

• Republic Airline, Inc., branded as Frontier Airlines, to continue to serve Kansas 

City, Missouri, with 99-seat regional jet aircraft; 

• Southwest Airlines Co., to serve Kansas City utilizing 137-seat aircraft; 

• US Airways, Inc., to serve Pensacola, Florida, utilizing 76- or 86-seat regional jet 

aircraft, depending on the season; and 

• Air Tran Airways, Inc., to serve either Fort Myers or Sarasota, Florida, utilizing 

either 117- or 137-seat aircraft. 

As the slot exemption proceeding is competitive and is currently under review by the 

Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the merits of the 

proposals. I assure you, however, that the Department will fully consider all of the 

proposals, and make its award based on the selection criteria detailed in the governing 

statutes. 
Mr. Robert C. Meade 

Page 2 

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and niy response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2000-7182 as a contact outside the record of this proceeding. I appreciate 

your interest in obtaining access to the Nation's capital. If I can provide further 

information or assistance, please feel free to call me. 

^urlanV 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
Doctors Hospital 

October 6, 2010 

The Honorable Roy H. LaHood 

Secretary of Transportatior^ 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Wastiingfon, DC 20590 

RE: Dockef OST-2000-7ie2 

Dear Secretary LaHood; 

We ore writing to express our support for the oppJicotion of AirTran Airwoys Inc. for the two 

ovailaWe Ronold Reogon Washington National Airport (DCA) within-perimeter slots being 

allocated by the Deportment in Docket OST-2000-7182 to provide nonstop service from Sorasoto 

Brodenlon International Airport (SRQ) to DCA. 

The Sarasota Bradenton area has only one daily nonstop on a regional jet to Washington, DC, 

even though it is the sixth largest destination moricet from this area. WHti over 750,000 residents 

and our prime location os a leisure destination for tourists, SRQ can certainly support additional 

sendee ond It vrauld be a great help to the tourism industiY in this region, which suffered a 

significant impact from the BP oil spill. This new service would also mitigate the negative 

economic impact the recession has hod on the community and the airport. 

While AirTran also offers an alternative to award the route to Southwest Florida (nternationoJ 

(RSW). we ask that the slot be awarded to Airtran conditioned on ttie slot be utilized for SRQ. In 

addition to enhancing competition and lowering fores ai Sorasoto Bradenton Internotiorwl 

Airport, the proposed service would increoie connectivity to destinations in the Northeast an6 

Midwest, critical morkets for our region. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely. 

Robert C.weade 

President & CEO 

S m Bee Ridge ftoid * Sansota, Fiorida 34233 • Telephone (941} 342-tWO • www.doctorsofsartsoU.com 

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