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## The FlonorableiJ?iona 

### .Ma, 

## Calfft?rtiia

..**f{ttu~.o;fRepre$enmtives** 

### Post Office 

### Box 942·849 Sacramento, CA 94249**Deat'Ms~** 

### Ma: "'!
, ... lfiJ· j1 .i /''"\ '· • I 1:20'o Nov. ae""'Y**Awnu«~,** IE'**WlW\llitl!~li. ~** **2~**



## Thank you 

### for 

## yout**l~tterto Secr~taty**  

### of**Transpott~Uon** 

### Ray**t~Iiood** 

### •.**S,uppo~ing** 

### tb,e,application 

### of Virgin**Am~ca.,** 

### Inc. for four**beyond~perbneter** 

### slot**~xetnptions** 

### at RomUd**R~a.gan** 

### Wtishillgton Na'tlonal Airport' 

## (DCA). Ifawarded those exemptions, 

## Virgin America would provide two daily**round~trrp** 

### fli:ghtS 

### fton1 DCAtp $till 

### f'rancfsQo.**Sec~tacyL~ood.** 

### has·asked' 

## tfui:B**te~ondto** 

### yontletter.


### Undet**·author!~** 

### granted 

### in the.FAA MO'd 1 

## emizati9nart4 Re!onn Act 

### of':itQI't,.the**U.S~** 

### Dep.artrheilfofT'ransportation 

## will be awar:dingto 

### new entrant ol'litnited 

### inc.umbent**~ers** 

### a total ofeight 

### slot exernptionsat**PCA~** 

### whlch would support 

### .four daily 

### round.tdps.

We 

### received Virgin America's. application on March 12) 

## 2(U2. Other timely applications 

## were received 

## from Air CanatltH pl'Oposing**~n.~** 

### rotlhdtrip 

### tQ Van¢ouver,,**~riUsh** 

### CQlumbia,; 

## Alaska Afrlmesc •. oneround;..trip to 

### Portland, 

## Oregont and one round-trip to**S~ri** 

### Piegp;**F:rQ.nlietAirli,nes~** 

### one rou.Qd trip to**~ofo~dpSpiings:an<f** 

### beyond 

### to·**SnnDi~go~** 

### Jetl3Iue 

### Airways, 'Orietoundtrtpto 

### •San**Juan~·PuertoR.ieo~** 

## anit oneoroundtripto Austfn,.Texas;.Squthwest Airlines, one.round>tripto·**A~tjn** 

### and San 

### Diego**b~yond;** 

### and Sun Country Airlines,. one 

### round .trip. 

### to Las Vegas.

As the matter is still pending, 

### we cannot 

## cornmenton tbe 

## merits ofthe pqirits**raise~tin** 

### your**l~er**

### .. However, 

## I can assure you that 

### a.llapplications the,Depattment 

## received Will 

# be gj 

### yen :fUU and**fwreon$i~ttdiqn** 

# and Wilt t>e evaluated against tbe**sel~tion** 

### criteria 

## sp:ecilied.inthe.:statute;**T1Ie:Qefrattm~t's** 

### a¢tion 011**~is** 

### matter .is being a(hninistered through a. publlc**docke~** 

### which ·auows·a11 fntetested.pa.rti'esthe**opp¢rtunityto•c9~ment~** 

### ..**F:olloWing.o'llt'normal.prac~ice,** 

### I ant 

### Plileib!l:.l:l: c.opy of your letter 

### and 

## this response indocketnumber DOT.;..2012-0029.


# ·we app:reciate·.yourinterestih this 

### mlitter.
Singerelyyours.

Susan L. 

### Kutl@d**.A~sistant** 

### Secretary for Aviation tWd Illtemational AffairsSTATE CAPITOL P.O. BOX 942849 SACRAMENTO, CA 94249·0012 (916) 319·2012 FAX (916) 3f9·2112 DISTRICT OFFICE

# ~ss~mhlu**~Hfnrnht ~~gislafur~** 

455 GOLDEN GATE AVENUE, #14600 SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94102 (415) 557·2312 FAX (415) 557·1178 WEBSITE http://www.assembly.ca.gov/ma

The Honorable Raymond H. LaHood Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590

Re: Docket No. OST ·2012-0029 February 29, 2012 COMMITTEES AGRICULTURE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATION PUBLIC EMPLOYEES, RETIREMENT AND SOCIAL SECURITY UTILITIES AND COMMERCE CHAIR, SELECT COMMITTEE ON DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

Application of Virgin America Inc. for "Beyond-Perimeter" Slots

Dear Secretary LaHood:

I am writing to-express my strong support for Virgin America's proposal to provide two nonstop flights between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Reagan National Airport (DCA). With
no current service at DCA and as the only airline headquartered in California, Virgin America is uniquely suited to bring meaningful competition to the largest market in the nation previously without nonstop flight service to DCA: the San Francisco Bay Area.

As

## a"re~~lt**ofth~ vJ~~k**  by you, your department and Congress, the President recently signed the FAA Modernization.and**Refor~:Ac;t of-20.12~**  which**il')clud~d aprovis.io,n.;~l,lthori~ing**  you to award
new flights between DCA and domestic airports located beyond the current' 1,250 mile perimeter limit. Historically, the Bay Area has been .shut out from DCA nonstop service, with.all"beyond-perimeter" flight awards being made to non-California airports -with**th~** exception 

## of a daily flight at Los Angeles. Previous DCA awards have been made to smaller markets, including: Denver (four roundtrip frequencies) and Phoenix (three roundtrip frequencies). In terms ofpassenger traffic, San Francisco dwarfs these and all other beyond-perimeter markets. Because SFO has been the largest beyond-perimeter market without**non~top** flights to DCA, local consumers have suffered with limited options .:. either travel to Washington Dulles or a one-stop connecting flight when traveling to downtown Washington; !),C.
Additionally, the carrier's decision to headquarter in the Bay Area has created thou.sands of local jobs, and the airline has grown to over 2,500 employees, with plans to add 500 new jobs on an annual basis over the next three .to five years. The award of 

### two roundtrip flights to the carrier will both spur continued local economic growth and ensure that SFO-DCA travelers will benefit from real competition. Whe making this critical decision, I urge you to consider the positive impact of improving the connection b een Wash.ington D.C

... and Silicon. Valley's powerful**innov:ati~n-based** economy.

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Speaker pro Tempore Assembly District 12 

# s 10-120306-004