## Los Arzgr1r.s Worltl Ais/,orts

March 4. 201 0

The Honorable Ray H. LaHood Secretary of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20590 RE: Support Letterfor Docket No. US DOT OST 2010-0018 On behalf of LosAngeles World Airports (LAWA), the owner and operator of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), I strongly urge the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to award one slot for nonstop service between LAX and Tokyo Haneda lnternational Airport (HND) to American Airlines. Given the role of HND as Japan's dominant domestic hub and its proximity to the city center of Tokyo, Istrongly encourage you to award route authority inthe current proceeding to those U.S. 

### marketsthat generate the greatest volume of passenger and cargo demand to and from Tokyo andthe nation of Japan. LosArlgeles is byfar the largest U.S. Mainland -Tokyo market measured by both passenger and air service demand. Evenwithout a major domestic hub carrier, 

### LAX supports 

### 68% more seat capacity to Tokyo than San Francisco, and generates morethan 50% greater local O&D passengers. Nonstop service to HND represents something entirely different: time-saving air service to U.S. and Japanese passengers and/or shippers of valuable air-eligible cargo which also supportsjobs and supplier activity that enable cargo operators. Therefore, the optimal allocation of limitedslots at HND that will generate the greatest econorr~ic benefit to consumers inthe U.S., as well as in Japan, is one that will connect HNDto those U.S. markets with the largest number of passengers and cargo seeking access to Tokyo itself and other Japanese destinations with timely connections via HND.
Ifthe USDOT is, in fact, determined to maximize economic benefits to the U.S. in its award of route authority totfrom HND, I am confident that you will agree with methat Los Angeles is 

### clearlythe most important market in which a U.S. or Japanese carrier can offer nonstop access to HND, for several reasons.
The Los Angeles region generates more origin-destination passenger traffic to 

### andfrom Japan than any other U.S. mainland market, by a significant margin. Infact, 700,000 passengers, or more than one of every five traveling between the U.S. and Japan, originates in or is destined for Los Angeles The majority of these passengers are inthe LAX-Tokyo marketThe Honorable Ray H. LaHood March 4, 2010 Page 2

Of the 11.6 million passengerswho travel between the U.S. and Japan each year, more than 11 % do so via LAX, despite the fact that no U.S.airline operates a major hub to the AsiaIPacific region at the airport Los Angeles is Japan's largest gateway for trade with the U.S. and Japan is Los Angeles' second-largesttrade partner. In fact, the volume of goods that are both exported and imported between the U.S.and Japan via LosAngeles is more than double that which passes through New York City, the second largest international trade gateway Air cargo accounted for more than $4.4 billion of the $13.6 billion in 2008 exports to Japan that were transported from Los Angeles, the nation's largest manufacturing center; cargo activity is a key stimulus for numerous supportirlg trade businesses
There are more residents of Japanese ancestry in Los Angeles than in any other U.S. city, including Honolulu. There are more than twice as many residents of Japanese descent in Los Angeles than in San Francisco, the U.S. mainland city with the second-highest total
More Japanese expatriates live in Los Angeles than in any other U.S. city. In fact, 57% more live in Los Angeles than in New York City, the city with the second-largest population
Ifthe USDOTfails to award a slotto American Airlines for LAX-HND nonstop service, the largest U.S. mainland market may well remain unserved. Given the unmatched opportunity for economic benefitto accrue to the U.S.economy by providing for nonstop service between LAX and HND, I strongly encourage you to award at least one slot toAmerican Airlines, as it seeks to compete in the most important market between the U.S.and Japan. Sincerely, 

# /$ins Marie Lindsey

. xecutive Director 

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