### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION W AS HINGTON , D .C. 2 0590



### The Ho n orable Linda T. Sanchez U.S. House of Repre sent at ives Washington , DC 205 15 Dear Co ngresswoman Sanchez: April 03, 2014



### Thank yo u for your letter r ega rdin g the ap pli cati o n ofNorweg i an Air International Limited (NA I) for authority to conduct U.S. serv ices. Given that a number of interes te d pa rti es have filed r es p o n sive pleadings to NAI's app lication and thi s matter is currently pending before the Department, I am sure you understand that I c annot comment on the m e rit s ofNAI ' s appli cat ion. I ass ure yo u , h oweve r, that we will g i ve full and careful consideration to a ll of the pleading s fi led on the record before we reach a determination in thi s matter. As i s our standard prac ti ce, I am placing a copy of yo ur lette r and m y response in Docket DOT-OST-2013-0204 , as a contact o ut s ide the record of th i s ca se . Yo u may track the progress of this case and view the publicly available doc um e nt s fi led in the docket by accessing the Fe dera l Docket Manageme nt S ys tem at www.regu lati o n s.gov and searc hin g for Dock et DOT-OST-2013-0204. I hop e this inform atio n i s he lp ful. S in cere l y,

Anthony R. FoxxMEMBER: COMMITTEE ON ETHICS 

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The Honorable Anthony Foxx U.S. Depmtment ofTranspmtation 1200 New Jersey Ave , SE Washington, DC 20590 Dear Secretary Foxx: February 10, 2014 DC OFF I CE : 2423 RAYBURN BUI LDING WASH INGTON , DC 20515 (202) 225-6676 DISTRICT OFFICE: 17906CRUSADERAVENUE SUIT E 100 CERRITOS, CA 90703 ( 562) 860-5050
www .linda sanchez.house.gov

As a strong supporter of fair commercial airline competition, I write to express my concern s regarding the Norwegian Air International ' s (NAI) application for an exemption and a foreign air carrier permit. Approval of the application would allow NAI to conduct commercial air transportation operations to and from the United States, including Los Angeles International Airport_ The Department ofTransportation (DOT) should consider several issues as it re v iews NAI's application. The Norwegian Air Shuttle (NAS) is seeking to expand its presence by providing consumers lowcost flights. However, the methods employed to reach this low cost status deserve further scrutiny_ Specifically, NAS established NAI as a subsidiary registered in Ireland. As you may be aware, Irish law permits airlines to outsource airline crew employment. NAI plans to partner with a Singapore employment agency. This will allow the company to take advantage of Singapore's wage laws , which contain working conditions substantially inferior to those ofNAS ' s Norway based pilots_ I remain firmly supportive of a robust and competitive airline industry, but the corporate structure described above raises concern. Commercial aviation is a vital component of our economy. We should strive to endorse carrier applications that ensure a level playing field and allow U.S. carriers to compete globally_ NAI's application should be scrutinized to ensure stability and fair competition in the airway carrier market. I hope to continue to work together on this issue and look forward to your response . Sincerely, 

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### T. Sanchez Member of Congress



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