CITY oF HousToN Annise D. Parker 

-~ HOLISTON AI R.POR.T SYSTEM 

George Bush Intercontinental - William P. Hobby- Ellington Airport 

November 19, 2013 

Ms. Barbara Hairston 

DOT Supervisory Dockets Officer 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, S.E. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Mayor 

Mario C. Diaz 

Director of Aviation 

Reference: Application of Sky West Airlines, Inc. for an exemption under 49 U.S.C. §40109 

(Houston-Nassau, Bahamas), docket DOT-OST-2013-0198 

Dear Ms. Hairston: 

The City of Houston ("Houston") respectfully submits this letter in answer to, and in strong support 

of, the application filed on November 14, 2013 by SkyWest Airlines, Inc. ("SkyWest") for authority 

to operate services between Houston and Nassau, Bahamas, pursuant to a code-sharing arrangement 

with United Airlines, Inc. ("United"). 

Houston enthusiastically welcomes and supports SkyWest's application. Nassau is a popular leisure 

destination and gateway for passengers from Houston. According to data from the Bahamas 

Ministry ofTourism, in 2011 (the most recent year for which data is available), more than 17,500 

travelers from Houston visited Nassau and the rest of the Bahamas. Additionally, in 2012 Houston 

and the Bahamas exchanged cargo with a value of more $751 million. Since 2000, the trade has 

grown at a compounded annual rate of more than 31%, and the Houston/Galveston Customs District 

currently is the Bahamas' second-largest gateway for trade with the U.S. According to data from the 

Greater Houston Partnership, forty-two Houston companies maintain subsidiaries in the Bahamas; 

for example, Houston-based Buckeye Partners LP recently acquired an 80% stake in Bahamas Oil 

Refining Company International (BORCO), which operates the Caribbean's largest petroleum 

storage terminal. 

Houston understands that the authority that Sky West has requested in this proceeding is consistent 

with that previously granted to other carriers on the basis of comity and reciprocity and the 1946 

"Bermuda I" agreement between the U.S. and the U.K., the terms of which have continued to govern 

the bilateral aviation relationship between the U.S. and Bahamas since its independence in 1973. 

Indeed, the approval ofSkyWest's application would be beneficial both to the U.S. as a whole- by 

Council Members. Wanda Adams C.O. "Brad" Bradford Helena Brown Andrew C. Burks, Jr. Jack Christie Ellen R. Cohen Stephen C. Costello Jeny Davis Edward 

Gonzalez Lany V. Green AI Hoang Mike Laster Melissa Noriega Oliver Pennington James G. Rodriguez Dave Martin 

Controller: Ronald C. Green 

Mario C. Diaz PO Box 60106, Houston, Texas 77205-0106 - Phone: 281 233-1877- Fax: 281 233-1864 

www.F1y2Houston.com. - www.houstontx.gov 
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U.S. Department of Transportation 

promoting continued trade and travel between the two countries - and to Houston, which through 

George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is a primary gateway for flights between the U.S. and 

Latin America and the Caribbean. By enabling year-round service to Nassau, SkyWest would 

enhance and solidify the diverse service and connecting options available to passengers through 

IAH, which also would benefit communities throughout the south central U.S. 

Sincerely, 

Ian Wadsworth 

MD:IW;mw 

cc: Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker 

Saba Abashawl, HAS Chief External Affairs Officer 

temerson@skywest.com (SkyWest) 

gmumhy@crowell.com and sseiden@crowell.com (Counsel for Sky West) 

efaberman@wileyrein.com (Counsel for AirTran Airways) 

francis.heil@aa.com and robert.wirick@aa.com (American Airlines) 

jcanny@amerijet..com (Amerijet International) 

jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com (Counsel for Amerijet International) 

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com and sametta.c.barnett@delta.com (Delta Airlines) 

msinick@ssd.com (Counsel for Florida West International Airlines) 

jhill@dowlohnes.com (Counsel for JetBiue Airways) 

kevin.montgomery@polar.com and peter.beckett@polar.com (Polar Air Cargo) 

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com (Counsel for Ryan International) 

pmurphy@lopmurphy.com (Counsel for Sky Bahamas) 

jyoung@yklaw.com and dkirsetin@yklaw.com (Counsel for Spirit Airlines) 

john.frederickson@suncountry.com and thomas.ting@suncountry.com (Sun Country) 

dan.weiss@united.com and steve.morrissey@united.com (United Airlines) 

dsmalls@ups.com (UPS) 

anita.mosner@hklaw.com and jennifer.nowak@hklaw.com (Counsel for UPS) 

howard.kass@usairways.com and benjamin.slocum@usairways.com (US Airways) 

mlbenge@zsrlaw.com (World Airways and North American Airlines) 

matwood@cozen.com (Counsel for Xtra Airways) 

john.allen@faa.gov and john.s.duncan@faa.gov (FAA) 

esta.rosenberg@dot.gov and barbara.hairston@dot.gov (DOT) 

uskr@state.gov and dobrescudm@state.gov (State Department) 

dwight.moore@ustranscom.mil (USTRANSCOM) 

obrooks@naca.cc and pdoell@naca.cc (NACA) 

info@airlineinfo.com 

Council Members: Wanda Adams C.O. "Brad" Bradford Helena Brown Andrew C. Burks, Jr. Jack Christie Ellen R. Cohen Stephen C. Costello Jerry Davis Edward 

Gonzalez Larry V. Green AI Hoang Mike Laster Melissa Noriega Oliver Pennington James G. Rodriguez Dave Martin 

Controller: Ronald C. Green 

Mario C. Diaz PO Box 60106, Houston, Texas 77205-0106- Phone: 281 233-1877- Fax: 281 233-1864 

www.Fiy2Houston.com.- www.houstontx.gov