Assistant Secretary m;\NSPORT!\T10~o New Jersey Avenue, SE U.S. Department nOCKETS· Washington, DC 20590 of Transportation 

Office March 25. 2010 of the Secretary 

of Transportation 51.1 

The Honorable Norm Archibald 

Mayor ofAbilene 

Abilene, TX 79604 ' 

Dear Mayor Archibald: 

Thank you for your letter of February 25 supporting the application for antitrust immunity filed 

by American Airlines and Japan Airlines. I am responding on behalf of Secretary LaHood. 

As you may know, the applicants-,..members of the oneworld Alliance-are seeking antitrust 

immunity to closely coordinate flights between the United States and Asia. According to the 

application, the alliance partners plan to launch a joint venture for conveyance of transpacific 

traffic. 

The application is administered in a public docket, which ensures that interested parties have the 

opportunity to comment. The U.S. Department of nansport at ion (DOT) will evaluate the 

application according to rigorous statutory standards, beginning with a review ofthe record to 

determine ifit is substantially complete. Decisions on the application are made in consultation 

with the U.S. Department ofJustice's Antitrust Division following a thorough analysis of 

competitive fl:J,ctors. As this matter is now pendingd hope you understand that I cannot 

comment on the merits of the application. I can assure you, however, that DOT will give full 

and fair consideration to the application as well as any comments filed in the docket. 

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

DOT-OST-2010-eJ059 as a contact outside the record in this matter. I appreciate your interest in 

this proceeding. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 


Assistant Secretary 


for Aviation and International Affairs 

_ ,e 

Ii' '.. " S 10-1003 16-02 I 

CITY OF ABILENE 

Norm Archibald 

Mayor 

February 25,2010 

The Honorable Raymond H. LaHood 


Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 


1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 


Washington, DC 20590 


Re: 	 Docket DOT·OST·2010~ American Airlines 


and Japan Airlines - Antitrust Immunity 


Dear Mr. Secretary: 

'Thank you for the opportunity to express the support of the City of Abilene for the 

application for antitrust immunity and proposed joint business agreement filed by 

American Airlines and Japan Airlines.' The proposed alliance between these two 

airlines Is vital for the oneworld alliance.to compete effectively with the Star and 

.,.. . SkyTeam alliances. This increased alliance competition will in turn enhance the 

benefits of the Department's Open Skies policy.., first by solidifying U.S. - Japan 

Open Skies; then by serving as a foundation for further liberalization across Asia. 

After a thorough review, we encourage the Department of Transportation to approve 

this application as it would enable theseoneworld alliance airlines to work closely 

together to deliver highly competitive air transportation services. The City of Abilene 

and the west central Texas region are served solely by American Airlines/American' 

Eagle, approval for an ANJAL alliance will have a positive impact on air travel by 

offering our region's travelers'more service, scheduling and pricing options and will 

help to ensure that customers continue to benefit from the competition afforded by 

threecompeti~ive air alliances. 

We urge you to quiCkly approve this application. 

Sincerely, 

P.O. BOX 60 • 555 WALNUT STREET • ABILENE. TEXAS 79604 • 325-676-6205 

IV", \\'0(1, It'gel/ler tv bwld a cvmmuntty of tile highest quality for present and future generallolls