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: • ' Tif C IT r- : 

ULS. Departmen t o f Assistant Secrefary ' ^ ' 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

TVnnspOrtaHon Washington, DC 20590 

Office Of fhe Secretary .1 \- nZ 

of Transportation 

OCT 2 5 2010 

Mrs. Mary J. Newton 

5224 Eastchester Drive 

Sarasota, FL 34234-2710 

Dear Mrs. Newton: 

Thank you for your letter of October 8 to Secretary LaHood supporting AirTran Airways, 

Inc. (AirTran) to serve Sarasota, Florida, in the ongoing slot-exemption proceeding at 

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The Secretary has asked that I 

respond to your letter directly. 

As you know, the U.S. Department of Transportation commenced a proceeding on 

August 30 to reallocate two DCA slot exemptions that are currently being used by 

Republic Airline, Inc. (Republic). Republic has been using these two slot exemptions for 

DCA - Kansas City service. These slot exemptions may be used to serve any medium 

hub or smaller airport within (he 1,250-mile perimeter of DCA. 

We have received a total of five proposals, briefly outlined below: 

• Sun Country to serve Lansing, Michigan, with 129- or 162-seat aircraft; 

• Republic Airline, Inc., branded as Frontier Airlines, to continue to serve Kansas 

City, Missouri, with 99-seat regional jet aircraft; 

• Southwest Airlines Co., to serve Kansas City utilizing 137-seat aircraft; 

• US Airways, Inc., to serve Pensacola, Florida, utilizing 76- or 86-seat regional jet 

aircraft, depending on the season; and 

• Air Tran Airways, Inc., to serve either Fort Myers or Sarasota, Florida, utilizing 

either 117-or 137-seat aircraft. 

As the slot exemption proceeding is competitive and is currently under review by the 

Department, I am sure you understand that I cannot comment on the merits of the 

proposals. I assure you, however, that the Department will fully consider all of the 

proposals, and make its award based on the selection criteria detailed in the governing 

statutes. 
Mis. Mary J. Newton 

Paee 2 

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2000-7182 as a contact outside the record of this proceeding. I appreciate 

your interest in obtaining access to the Nation's capital. If I can provide further 

information or assistance, please feel free to call me. 

/^ySusan L. Kurland 

1 / Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
>-•^)(^' ) 

5224 Eastchester Drive 

Sarasota, FL 34234-2710 

October 8,2010 

Tb€ Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S. E. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

This is regarding Docket OST-2000-7182. 

Our Sarasota aiiport is one of the prettiest ones I've ever traveled through. Vm always tu^py to come 

home to its sparkling waterfall. 

Tourists must be relieved diat two hotels are across the street, and that the maui road to dowmown 

leading to the bridge to the beaches is at the first traffic light. You must be quite aware that we have 

many hotels, condos and vacationer-fiiendly shopping areas up and down the Gulf. 

But, if they're very time-constrained, they can book a hotel across from the aiiport and actually see the 

entrance to the John and Mabel Ringling Museums of Art, Circus and their majestic mansion on 

Sarasota Bay. Right next to it is the Asolo live Theater complex, and the campus of the honors college 

of Florida, New College, 

We'd love to have more flights in and out of our beautiful, cultural. Gulf-side city! Our citizens are 

very cosmopolitan and would welcome more flights in and out of our conveniently located and userfriendly airport. 

Sincerely, 

(Mrs.) Maiy J. Newton