THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

The Honorable Joe Heck, D.O. 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congressman Heck: 

May02,20l2 

Thank you for your letter supporting the application ofMN Airlines, LLC, operating as Sun 

Country Airlines, for beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National 

Airport (DCA). Sun Country's application proposes to serve Las Vegas McCarran International 

Airport with one round trip per day from DCA. 

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

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

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

We received Sun Country's application on March 12. Other timely applications were received 

from Air Canad~ proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Alaska Airlines, one 

. round trip to San Diego, California, and one round trip to Portland, Oregon; Frontier Airlines,; 

one round trip to Colorado Springs, Colon.tdoJ and beyond to San Diego; JetBlue Airlines, one 

round trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one round trip to Austin, Texas; Southwest Airlines, one 

round trip to Austin and beyond to San Diego; and Virgin America, Inc., two round trips to 

San Francisco. 

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

However, I can assure you that all applications the Department received will be given full and 

fair consideration and will be evaluated tl.gainst the selectiotl criteria specified in the statute. 

The Department's action on this matter 

allows all interested parties the opp 

placing a copy of your letter and thi 

I appreciate your interest in 

administered through a public docket, which 

comment. Following our practice, I am 

se in docket number DOT 29. 

Ray LaHood 
JOSEPH J. HECK 

1· ;•"\!ll'i"DI~;m>t·r, NEVADA 

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WMHINGTOI'l, DC 20515-2803 

COMMITIEE ON 

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EDUCATION AND 

THE WORKFORCE COMMITTE~ 

P~RMANENT SELECT COMMITTEE 

ON INTELLIGENCE 

· Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Mr. Secretary: 

March 29, 2012 

I strongly support the application ofMN Airlines, LLC dba Sun Country Airlines 

for an available landing and takeoff slot at Ronald Reagan National Airport in 

Washington, DC. Sun Country Airlines proposes a non-stop daily service between 

Reagan National Airport (DCA) to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport (LAS). 

Sun Country's schedule would provide the only daytime nonstop flights in the fourth 

largest DCA O&D market outside of the perimeter. 

Sun Country Airlines is well known nationally for its excellent service and low 

fares. Awarding of the available takeoff and landing slots to Sun Country would provide 

an immediate competitive benefit for both the Las Vegas, NV and Washington DC 

markets resulting in a doubling of the existing non-stop service between these airports. In 

addition, the new service would also result in the creation of jobs in Southern Nevada, 

which currently ranks among the highest in the nation in unemployment. I would 

sincerely appreciate providing your fullest consideration to Sun Country's application. 

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact my staff member, James 

Langenderfer. Mr. Langenderfer can be reached at 202-226-7438. 

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