u.s. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

Mr. Rod Hershberger 

President and CEO 

paT 

P.O. Box 1529 

Nokomis, FL 34274 

Dear Mr. Hershberger: 

,\SSlstant Secr0tary 

OCT 252010 

1200 New Jersey Ave. S E 

IY:lsh,ngton. DC 20590 

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. Rod Hershberger 

Page 2 

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my 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, 

'\ ~usan L. u nd V', Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
" .".,.. 

October 6. 2010 

The Honorable Ray H. LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue. S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

RE: Docket OST-2000-7182 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

S I ()- I () I () I 5-()()-l 

We are writing to express our support for the application of AirTran Airways Inc. for the 

two available Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) within-perimeter 

slots being allocated by the Department in Docket OST-2000-7182 to provide nonstop 

service from Sarasota Bradenton 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 market from this area. 

With over 750,000 residents and our prime location as a leisure destination for tourists. 

SRQ can certainly support additional service and it would be a great help to the 

tourism industry in this region. which suffered a significant impact from the BP oil spill. 

As the second-largest private employer in the county. PGT Industries. Inc .. and many 

Southwest Florida businesses would greatly benefit from the allocation of this slot to 

SRQ. This new service would also mitigate the negative economic impact the 

recession has had on the community and the airport. 

While AirTran also offers an alternative to award the route to Southwest Rmida 

International (RSW). we ask that the slot be awarded to Airtran conditioned on the slot 

be utilized for SRQ. In addition to enhancing competition and lowering fares at 

Sarasota Bradenton International Airport. the proposed service would increase 

connectivity to destinations in the Northeast and MidWest. critical markets for our 

region. 

Thank you for your consideration. 

!'~_~\ 

Sincerely. I} ~ 

; 

Rod Hershberger 

President and CEO 

- - _ .... _ - 1070 Technology Dr. N. Venice, FL 34275·2121 HeMig Rd .. Salisbury, NC 28146· Tel. 941-480-1600· pgtIodustries.com