U.S. Department of 

Tr<lnsporlatton 

Office of the secretary of Transportation 

Ms. Kate Ullrich 

Travel Industry Sales Manager 

USS Midway Museum 

91 0 North Harbor Drive 

San Diego. CA 92101 

Dear Ms. Ullrich: 

April 11. 20f.~ll y ')Cj O,.l .. , 

Thank you for your letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application 

of Alaska Airlines, Inc.~ for two beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan 

Washington National Airport {DCA) to serve San Diego International Airport with one round 

trip per day from DCA. Secretary LaHood asked that I respond tQ your letter. 

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the 

U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent 

carriers a total of eight slot exemptions at DCA, wl:dch would support four daily round trips. 

We received Alaska's application, which also proposes one daily round trip to Portlandt Orego~ 

on March 12. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round 

trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and 

beyond to San Diego; Jet81ue Airlines. one round trip to San Juant Puerto Rico, and one round 

trip to Austin, r.,xtt$; SouthWest Airlinest one round trip to Austin and San Diego beyond; Sun 

Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America. Inc., two round trip$ to San 

Francisco. 

As the matter is still pendingt I cannot comment on the merits of the points raised in your letter. 

HoWever, I can assure yo\1 that all applications the Department received wiJl be given full and 

fair conS'ideration and wm be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute. 

1111-1 1111-111 
.. 

Page 2, Ullrich 

The Department's action on this matter is being administered through a public docket, which 

allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice~ I am 

placing a copy of your letter and this response in docket number DOT-2012-0029. 

I appreciate your interest in this matter. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
.. ' 

Friday, March 16, 2012 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

the 

Re: Alaska Airlines' application for SAN-DCA, Docket No. DOT-OST-2012-0029. 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

The USS Midway Museum fully supports the application of Alaska Airlines for air service between San 

Diego and Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). San Diego is the largest region without announced 

service to DCA. Additionally, due to the profound community of Interest between San Diego and the 

nation's capital, the region generates the largest passenger market demand without nonstop service 

to the convenient and close-in airport serving our nation's capital. 

San Diego's sheer market size to Washington coupled with the fact that San Diego - Dulles average 

airfares are the highest of west coast cities should qualify it for a pair of the limited slots available. The high 

airfare is exacerbated when factoring in taxi fares from Dulles to Washington's city center that average 

about $60 each way. This means travelers between Washington's city center and San Diego via Dulles can 

pay on average over $400 one-way. 

San Diego has the most active-duty military personnel in the country engaged in the noble cause of national 

defense. San Diego's significant Defense Department presence needs the quick access to the Pentagon 

that nonstop air service can provide. 

There are also countless other San Diego-based and Washington-based businesses that are engaged in 

health science, telecommunications, and national defense that need quick and convenient access to 

Reagan National Airport. The USS Midway Museum has an immediate need for additional nonstop air 

service to our nation's capital. Alas!& Airlines service would add a needed nonstop option to a primary 

gateway to Washington, DC. The USS Midway Museum joins with the San Diego County Regional Airport 

Authority, the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation, the World Trade Center San Diego, 

and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce in support of Alaska Airlines' application for San Diego 

-DCA slots. 

We thank the Department of Transportation for the opportunity to comment on the above referenced docket 

and we hope to hear of a favorable review of Alaska Airlines' San Diego - DCA proposal soon. 

Sincerely, 

Kate Ullrich 

USS Midway Museum 

Travel Industry Sales Manager 

MQiriJU"'-idway Museum· 910 N. Harbor Drive • San Diego, CA 91101 · (619) 544-9600 · www.midway.org