The Honorable John Hickenlooper 

Governor of Colorado 

Denver, CO 80203 

Dear Governor Hickenlooper: 

May01,2012 

Thank you for your letter supporting the application of Frontier Airlines for two beyondperimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Frontier's 

application proposes to serve Colorado Springs, Colorado. with one round trip per day from 

DCA, with direct service beyond to San Diego, California. 

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the 

U.S. Departme.nt of transportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent 

carriers a total of eight slot exemptiotls at DCA, which would suppo.rt four daily round trips. 

We received Frontier's application 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; JetBlue Airlines, one round trip 

to San Juan. Puerto Rico, and one round trip to Austin, Texas; Southwest Airlines, one round trip 

to Austin and San Diego beyond; Sun 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 conunent on the merits of the points raised in your letter. 

However,. I can assure you that aU applications the Department received wUl 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 inistered through a public docket~ which 

allows all interested parties the opportunitY: o comment. Following our n practice. I am 

placing a copy of your letter and this response in docket number DOT-20 29. 

I appreciate your interest in this matter.· 
OFFlCE OF THE GOVERNOR 

1 36 .$tate Capito! 

D<ttW€1\ Color\u:lo80203 

Pll6ne (303)866-2471 

I' ax (30i>l ft66<UloJ; 

'(be .Honorable R~y LaHood 

Sectemty of Transportation 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200New JerseyAvet1ue, SE 

W 11Shington,, 0(: 205:90 

John w . .Hkkerdoorrer 

CoY~!:O'Qr 

Re: Appli~atlqn ~tFrontier Airlines for Two Beyond-Peri~~t~r $lot Ex.emptions for 

Washington Natio.nal....Colorado Springs Nonstop Servie~ 

.((locket DOT -OST•lO;t2 .. 0'029) 

Deur Secretary LaHood: 

l write in·strong support of the application .of Frontier Airlines fortwo beyond-perimeter slot 

exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National.Airport. (DCA) to enable. it to provide 

low-ti.tre~ tlrsHime~ nonstop service between bCA .and Colorado Springs. 

Colotado. Spring$ is Colorado's' seeond largest city and the home to some bf ·full U.S. 

military's largest and most important installations like. Fort Carson (one of the largest U.S. 

Army installations in the world with more than 3(),00.0 assigned personnel); Petets.on Ait 

Force Base (which is the host installation for U,S. Northern Command. North American 

Aerospace Defense Command {NQRAD}, U.S. Air Force Space C()mtmmd} and U.S. Army 

Space CO>mntand), and the u.s. Air Force Academy. Coloradb Springs: is ,also the main 

gateway· to Colorado''S most;.Visxted tourist/leisure attractions; many defense contractors have 

operations in the area; and the U.S. Olympic Committee is here. 

These unparalleled commercial. g()v:ernmental, and milit.ury llnks between Col.orado Springs 

and. theNation's·.Capital generate e~tensive travel to and from WashingNm, D.C., and indeed 

the Washington, O.C. metropolitan area .is, by far, Colorado Springs' largest destination. 

Yet~ there js no nonstop service between Colorado Springs and DCA It is a l~ge., 

underserved, high-fare market which needs and can support nonstop servict; Frontier's 

proposal wo11ld fill this critical air service void'. Frontier would bring vt~Uy needed low .. 

fare, fitst-titne, nonstop .service between Colorado .Springs and DCA. It would also co.rnpete, 

vigorously wi't~ the current monoJ?oly nonstop service from Dulles International .and the: 

bigh-.fi»:e, one-stQp connecting flfghts which Colorado Spdngs·DCA passengers are required 

to use because of the current lack of n<:mstop service. 
There are additional benefits fron1 Frontier's proposed service as well, First, Frontier 

recently established Colorado Springs as a focus city where it is the only low-fare carrier 

offering daily service. Enabling Frontier to provide nonstop Col<arado Springs-DCA service 

would. })elp str.engthen Fnmtier's low. .. fare. competitive presence at Colorado Springs. Second, 

the public benefits of Frontier's proposed DCA~Colorndo Springs ~etvice would reach even 

farther, by offering same-plane service to San Diego (a neW route for Colorado Springs) and 

competitive, low-.fare cotmedions via Colorado Springs to Portland, Seattle, Los Angeies, 

Phoenix, and Denver. 

Your Departtnent has an unprecedented opportunity in this ptoce.eding to provide. Colorado 

Springs with first-time ever nonstop service to DCA. Frontier's service would provide the low~ 

fare, high~quality nonstop service we need. and for which Frontier has been long recognized. The 

residents and. businesses of Colorado Springs, as well as the tens ofthousands of brave. men and 

women in the military stationed in the area. deserve this new service. I hope that your 

Departmet1t wHl seize this opportunity and reduce this glaring service deficiency by awarding 

two slot e:)l(emptions to Frontier for Washington Nati.onal - Colorado Springs - San Diego 

service. 

For these reasons;. I urge the Department to award Fr()ntier two beyond"'perimeter slot 

exemptions for Colorado Springs-DCA service. 

Sincerely, 

John Hickenlooper 

Governor