BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------- --- --- ------ - : Application of :

: UNITED AIRLINES, INC

. : Docket DOT

- OST

- 2015

-

___ : f or an exemption pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 and : designation ( Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo , Mexico ) :

:

---------------------------------------------------------------- ---- --- ---- -

APPLICATION OF UNITED AIRLINES , INC. FOR AN EXEMPTION AND DESIGNATION

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Steve Morrissey Vice President

- Regulatory & Policy UNITED AIRLINES, INC. 1225 New York Avenue, NW Suite 1100

– DCAIZ Washington, DC 20005 (202) 521

- 4373

s teve. morrissey@united.com

Daniel A. Weiss Managing Director

- International Affairs and Regulatory UNITED AIRLINES, INC. 233 South Wacker Drive 10th Floor

– HDQIZ Chicago, IL 60606 (872) 825

- 6828 dan.weiss@united.com

May 29 , 201 5 Thomas Newton Bolling Vice President and Deputy General Counsel Abby L. Bried Associate General Counsel

- Regulatory, Antitrust & Alliances James Conneely Counsel

- Regulatory UNITED AIRLINES, INC. 233 South Wacker Drive 11th Floor

– HDQLD Chicago, IL 60606 (872) 825

- 8068 (872) 825

- 7415 (872) 825

- 8311 thomas.bolling@united.com abby.bried@united.com james.conneely@united.com

Gerald F. Murphy Steven J. Seiden CROWELL & MORING LLP 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Was hington, DC 20004 (202) 624

- 2500 gmurphy@crowell.com sseiden@crowell.com

Counsel for United Airlines, Inc.

NOTICE : United has request ed expedited treatment of this application. Accordingly, it will poll

U.S. carrier representatives and inform the Department of the results.BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

--------------------------------------------------------------------- : Application of :

: UNITED AIRLINES, INC. : Docket DOT

- OST

- 2015

-

___ : for an exemption pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 and : designation ( Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo , Mexico ) :

:

---------------------------------------------------------------------

APPLICATION OF UNITED AIRLINES, INC. FOR AN EXEMPTION AND DESIGNATION

United 1 applies
, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 and Subpart C of the Department’ s Rules

of Practice
, for an exemption from 49 U.S.C. § 41101 authorizing United to provid e scheduled

foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail between Chicago and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo
, Mexico beginning on or a bout December 1 9, 201 5
, and the U.S.

- Mexico operating designation

necessary to offer such service

. United requests this authority to provide seasonal Chicago

Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo service us ing Airbus A319/320 and/or Boeing B737 aircraft from its existing

fleet . United ask s that its exemption authority become effective as soon as possible and that it be

effective for a period of at least two years, subject to the Department’s standard conditions.

United also ask s the Departmen t to issue the necessary notice to Mexican authorities confirming

United’s au thority to serve the Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo route.

United state s as follows in support of this application :

1. Awarding Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo exemption authority to United will allow

United to provide Saturday service on a seasonal basis to meet demand in this market

. United

urge s the Department to act promptly on this application so that it can secure foreign authority,

1 Common names are used for airlines.Application of United

Page 2

make final operating plans
, and begin marketing the Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo flights well in

advance of operations, whic h it plan s to commence on or about December 1 9, 2015
, provided all

necessary approvals have been secured. 2

2. United ’s nonstop service between Chicago and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo will provide

substantial benefits to the U.S. traveling and shipping public and is clearly in the public interest.

Notably, United’s Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo service using Airbus A319/320 and/or Boeing

B737 aircraft will be the only scheduled, combination service on this route. Further, it will

expand United’s hub at Chica go O’Hare, maximize connecting service options for consumers,

facilitate the development of additional trade and tourism between the United States and Mexico,

and provide similar benefits throughout United’s Chicago O’Hare hub network.

3. The authority sought by United fully complies with the terms of the U.S.

- Mexico

Air Transport Services Agreement (“U.S.

- Mexico Agreement”), as amended . Route 1(a ) of the

U.S.

- Mexico Agreement authorizes carriers designated by the United States to operate from “a

point or poi nt s in the United States to a point or points in Mexico.” U.S.

- Mexico Agreement,

Annex I, A(1)(a). Further, the U.S.

- Mexico Agreement permits the United States to designate up

to three airlines to provide scheduled combination services between any point or points in the

United States and Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo

. S ee U.S.

- Mexico Agreement, Annex I, B(5 ) . Sufficient

designations are available for United to operate on the Chicago

- Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo route

. 3

4. United holds various certificates of public convenience and necessity and

exemptions authorizing United to engage in scheduled air transportation of persons, property and

mail between the U.S. and foreign countries, and United is fit, willing and able to provide the

2 United will poll airline representatives and advise the Department of the results.

3 Based on currently published scheduled services, there are three U.S. carrier operating designations available on this route.Application of United

Page 3

service for which it seeks authority

. See
, e.g., Order s 2013

- 4

- 11 (reissuing United/Con tinental

authorities to United) and 2010

- 5

- 17 (U.S.

- Mexico), and Notices of Action Taken dated January

20, 2015 in Docket DOT

- OST

- 2014

- 0224 (New Orleans

- Cancun, Mex ico), July 29, 2014 in

Docket s DOT

- OST

- 2014

- 0100 and DOT

- OST

- 2014

- 0101 ( Houston

- Puerto Vallarta/San Jose del

Cabo , Mexico) and June 5, 2014 in Docket DOT

- OST

- 201 4

- 0088 ( Washington, D.C.

- San Jose

del Cabo, Mexico )

. Pursuant to Rule 24 of the Department’s R ules of Practice, United requests

that the Department take official notice of all information and data that ha ve been filed to

establish its fitness.

WHEREFORE, United urges the Department to grant immediately the requested

exemption authority and corresponding designation
, and such other relief that the Department

may deem necessary or appropriate.

Respectfully submitted,

CROWELL & MORING LLP

____________________________ Gerald F. Murphy Steven J. Seiden gmurphy@crowell.com sseiden@crowell.com

Counsel for United Airl ines, Inc.

May 29 , 2015CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I certify that I have this date served the foregoing document on the following persons in

accordance with the Department’s Rules of Practice.

bob.kneisley@wnco.com dkirstein@yklaw.com leslie.abbott@wnco.com jyoung@yklaw.com dheffernan@cozen.com thomas.ting@sunc ountry.com jeremy.ross@alaskaair.com john.fredericksen@suncountry.com howard.kass@aa.com barbara.russell@virginamerica.com robert.wirick@aa.com john.varley@virginamerica.com patrick.rizzi@hoganlovells.com anita.mosner@hklaw.com robert.cohn@hoganlovells.com jennifer.nowak@hklaw.com esahr@eckertseamans.com nssparks@fedex.com dderco@eckertseamans.com gbleopard@fedex.com robert.land@jetblue.com matwood@cozen.com sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com dwight.moore@ustranscom.mil chris.walker@delta.com john.s.duncan@faa.gov englets@state.gov

__________________________________ Steven J. Seiden

May 29 , 2015