U.S.Department of Transportation Office ofthecSeaetary ofTransportation



### Mr. Scott Alevy PresidentlCEO San Diego EastCounty Chamber ofCommerce 201 S. Magnolia Avenue 

### Bl Cajon. CA 92020

Dear 

### Mr. Alevy: Thankyou for your letter to Secretary 

## otTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application ofAlaska Airlines, Inc.• for two beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to serve San Diego International Airpon with one round 

### trip per 

### day from DCA, Secretary LaHood asked that I 

### respond to 

### your letter. Under authority granted in the FAA 

### Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the U.S. Department ofTrant;portation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent 

# earners atotal ofeight slot exemptions at DCA, which would supportfour daily round trips. We received Alaska's applicati.on, which also proposes one daily round trip to Portlandt Oregon, on 

### .March 12. Other .timely applications were.received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, .British Columbia; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to 

### San Diego; JetBiue Airlines, one round trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one round trip to Austin, Texas; Southwest·Airlines, one round trip to Austin and San Diego beyond; Sun Country Airlines, .one round 

### tnP to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, lnc., two roUild trips to 

### San Franci$00. As. 

### the matter is still pending, Icannot comment onthe merits ofthe points raised in yourlettet. Howevert l can assure youthat all applications**t~** 

### Depmtmentreceived will 

### be given full and ftdr consideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute.

## .. Page 2, 

### Alevy



### The Department's action on this matter 

### is being administered 

### through a public 

### docket, which 

### allows all interested parties 

### the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, 

### Iam placing a copy ofyour letter and this response in 

### docket number DOT-2012

..0029. 

### Iappreciate your 

### interest in this matter.**lm1D~II111111~111** ' 

### Sincerely yourst

Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and 

### International Affairs

# •**n~~r.__** 

## CHAMBER

20l S. Magt1olia.Ave.. El**C~tjon,** GA 92020 March 15, 

### 2012 The Honorable Ray LaHood U.S. Departmentof Transportation 1200 New JerseyAve, 

### SE Washington, DC 20590 Re; tetterin support of Alaska's**application·forSAN~DCA** route; Docket No.**DOT-QSl·2012~0029** DearSecretary LaHood: The San Diego East County Chamberof Commerce is**fh~** oldesfand largest business affinity organization in the county east .of downtown San Diego, celebrating· our

### tOOth anniversary this year; We fully suppprt Alaska Airlines' application to prpvh:le scheduled**air~el"iice** betyteeo·Sa.n Diego and Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). San Diego is .the largest region withoutregu!ar serviGe

## to DCA. A number ofour over850 member companies make regular trips to·interact with our legislative representatives and the government agencies With whom they work on a regularbasis. 

### It is the lifebiMd of theircommerce. Our region is acenter ofDOD employment, both active duty military and.defense department contracting companies. One in every five. jobs in this county are DOD-related. If any marketplace needs direct service to DCA, it is the business community of SanDiego.County. With the most active-duty military personnel in the country engaged in the noble cause olna.tional defense, San Diego's significant Defense Department presence needs the:quicltaccess .to the Pentagon and other nearby agency offices that nonstop air service to DCA can provide. In addition, San Diego's average airfares are the highest**ofwe~t** coast cities,We are worthyqfa pair of the limited available slots. When one factors in taxi fares from Dulles to Washington's city centerthat average about $60 each way, travelets between WashingtorCs 

### city centerand San Diego via Dulles can pay an average in excess of

### $400**one~way.** San Diego's business community needs quick and convenrent access to Reagan NationalAirport. Alaska Airlines servicewould add aneeded nonstop option for aprimary gatewayto Washington, 

### DC. The $an Diego East County Chamber of Commerce joins with multiple organizations in support ofAlaska Airlines' application forSan**Diego~** DCAslots. Wethank theDepartmentof Transportation forthe opportunity to comment on the referenced docket. We hope to hear of afavorable review ofAlaska Airlines' San Diego- DCA proposal so.on. Sincerely,

# J'~~/~**Scou:~\7** President &CEO

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