BEFORE THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

________________________________________________

)

Application of )

)

VIRGIN AMERICA INC. )

) Docket No. OST-2011-0130 

for renewal of exemption authority pursuant ) 

to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 )

San Francisco – Puerto Vallarta )

________________________________________________)

APPLICATION OF VIRGIN AMERICA INC.

FOR RENEWAL OF EXEMPTION

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Barbara Russell

 Associate General Counsel

Virgin America Inc.

555 Airport Blvd., Second Floor

Burlingame, CA 94010

(650) 762-7394 (phone)

(650) 762-7004 (fax)

barbara.russell@virginamerica.com 

July 12, 2013

Notice: Any person who wishes to support or oppose this Application may do so by filing an 

answer by July 29, 2013, serving a copy on Virgin America and all persons listed on the attached 

certificate of service. However, Virgin America intends to poll and requests expedited action.
1

BEFORE THE

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

________________________________________________

)

Application of )

)

VIRGIN AMERICA INC. )

) Docket No. OST-2011-0130 

for renewal of exemption authority pursuant ) 

to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 )

San Francisco – Puerto Vallarta )

________________________________________________)

APPLICATION OF VIRGIN AMERICA INC.

FOR RENEWAL OF EXEMPTION

Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 and Subpart C of the Department's Rules of Practice, 

Virgin America Inc. (“Virgin America”) hereby applies for renewal of its exemption authority 

authorizing Virgin America to (i) operate scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, 

property, and mail between San Francisco and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and (ii) integrate this 

exemption authority with its other existing authority. 

In support of its application, Virgin America states as follows:

1. Virgin America is a Delaware corporation with its principal place of business at 

555 Airport Blvd., Burlingame, CA 94010. 

2. Virgin America is a citizen of the United States, as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 

40102(a)(15) and has been found fit to provide scheduled interstate air transportation of persons, 

property and mail. See Orders 2007-5-11 and 2007-8-17; and Letter from Susan L. Kurland, 

DOT Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs, to Virgin America Inc. in 
2

Docket OST-2005-23307 (determining that Virgin America remains a citizen of the United 

States) (Jan. 8, 2010). 

3. Virgin America hereby incorporates by reference all data previously filed with the 

Department to establish Virgin America’s fitness, and respectfully requests the Department take 

notice of such data pursuant to Rule 24 of the Department’s Rules of Practice. 

4. Under this exemption authority, Virgin America operates roundtrip San Francisco 

– Puerto Vallarta flights with seasonal frequency variations using A320 aircraft. 

5. By Notice of Action Taken dated August 5, 2011,1

6. Virgin America accepts and will comply with the Department’s standard terms 

and conditions imposed on exemption authority for scheduled foreign air transportation.

the Department found that 

Virgin America’s proposed services were consistent with the terms of the U.S. – Mexico bilateral 

agreement and that grant of the requested exemption authority and route integration authority 

was in the public interest. Renewal of the authority requested herein remains in the public 

interest. Virgin America’s crossborder services provide valuable competition in the U.S. –

Mexico market. 

7. Virgin America’s application for an exemption poses no environmental, energy, 

or noise issues. Approval of this application will not result in a near-term increase in fuel 

consumption of 10 million gallons or more. 

8. Virgin America requests expedited action on this application and will poll 

the parties set forth on the attached certificate of service.

 1 This exemption authority will expire on August 5, 2013, absent this renewal application. 
3

WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Virgin America Inc. respectfully requests that 

the Department renew the exemption authority described above for an additional two-year 

period, as more fully described above.

Respectfully submitted,

Barbara Russell

 Associate General Counsel

Virgin America Inc.

555 Airport Blvd., Second Floor

Burlingame, CA 94010

(650) 762-7394 (phone)

(650) 762-7004 (fax)

barbara.russell@virginamerica.com 

July 12, 2013
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

I hereby certify that a copy of the foregoing Application of Virgin America Inc. for 

Renewal of Exemption was served this 12th day of July, 2013, via email transmission or first 

class mail, postage prepaid, on the following persons:

Lorraine B. Halloway

Gerald F. Murphy

Counsel for Continental/United Airlines

Crowell & Moring LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004-2595

lhalloway@crowell.com

gmurphy@crowell.com

Dan Weiss

Managing Director – International &

 Regulatory Affairs

United Air Lines

77 West Wacker Drive-HDQIZ

Chicago, IL 60601

dan.weiss@united.com

Stephen J. Morrissey

Managing Director, Regulatory and

 Policy

United Air Lines, Inc.

1225 New York Avenue, NW - DCAIZ

Suite 1100

Washington, DC 20005

steve.morrissey@united.com

Marshall S. Sinick

Counsel for Alaska Airlines, Inc.

Squire, Sanders & Dempsey, LLP

1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Suite 500

Washington, D.C. 20004 

msinick@ssd.com

Robert Wirick

American Airlines, Inc.

1101 Seventeenth Street, N.W.

Suite 600

Washington, D.C. 20036

robert.wirick@aa.com

Howard Kass

Vice President, Legal

US Airways, Inc.

1401 H Street, N.W., Suite 1075

Washington, D.C. 20005

howard.kass@usairways.com

Robert E. Cohn

Counsel for Frontier Airlines, Inc.

Hogan Lovells US LLP

Columbia Square

555 Thirteenth Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20004

robert.cohn@hoganlovells.com

Alexander Van der Bellen

Sametta C. Barnett

Chris Walker

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

1212 New York Avenue, N.W.

Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20005

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com

sametta.c.barnett@delta.com

Chris.walker@delta.com
Anita Mosner

Jennifer Nowak

Counsel for United Parcel Service

Holland & Knight

800 17th Street, N.W.

Suite 1100

Washington, D.C. 20006

anita.mosner@hklaw.com

jennifer.nowak@hklaw.com

John M. Allen

Director

Flight Standards Service

Federal Aviation Administration

800 Independence Avenue, S.W.

Room 821

Washington, D.C. 20591

john.allen@faa.gov 

Joanne W. Young

Counsel for Spirit Airlines, Inc.

Kirstein & Young, PLLC

1750 K Street, N.W.

Suite 200

Washington, D.C. 20006

JYoung@yklaw.com

Jonathan B. Hill

Counsel for JetBlue Airways Corp.

Dow Lohnes PLLC

1200 New Hampshire Ave., N.W., Suite 800

Washington, D.C. 20036

jhill@dowlohnes.com

Edward P. Faberman

Counsel for AirTran Airways, Inc.

Wiley Rein, LLP

1776 K Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20006

efaberman@wileyrein.com

G. Bailey Leopard

Sandra Lunsford

Legal and Regulatory Affairs

Federal Express Corporation

3620 Hacks Cross Road

Building B, 3rd Floor

Memphis, TN 38125

sllunsford@fedex.com

gbleopard@fedex.com

Thomas Ting

MN Airlines, LLC dba Sun Country

 Airlines

1300 Mendota Heights Road

Mendota Heights, MN 55120

Thomas.Ting@suncountry.com

Pierre Murphy

Counsel for Brendan Airways, LLC d/b/a 

USA 3000 Airlines

1200 New Hampshire Ave., N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20036

pmurphy@lopmurphy.com
John L. Martin

Airport Director

San Francisco International Airport 

PO Box 8097 

San Francisco, CA 94128-8097

________________________________

Barbara Russell
VERIFICATION

Pursuant to Title 18 United States Code Section 1001, I, Barbara Russell, in my 

individual capacity and as the authorized representative of the applicant, have not in any manner 

knowingly or willfully falsified, concealed or covered up any material fact or made any false, 

fictitious or fraudulent statement or knowingly used any documents which contain such 

statements in connection with the preparation, filing or prosecution of this exemption 

application. I understand that an individual who is found to have violated the provisions of 18 

U.S.C. Section 1001 shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five 

years, or both.

Name: Barbara Russell

Date: July 12, 2013

Title: Associate General Counsel