U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Secretory ofTransportation



### Mr. James Rodriguez City Council Member, District I 

### City ofHouston PO 

### Box 1562 Houston, TX 77251M 1562 DearMr. Rodriguez: Assistant Secretary



### January 22, 2013 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

l...J 0 

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Thank you for your letter1o Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application ofSouthwest Airlines (Southwest) for two withinMperimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Southwest proposes to serve Houston's William P. Hobby Airpmt with one nonstop round trip per day from DCA. Secretary .LaHood asked that I respond t9 

### you on his behalf. \Ve received Southwest's application on December 5, 2012. Other timely applications were received from JetBlue Airways, proposing one nonstop round trip to Jacksonville International Airport, Florida, and from US Airways, proposing one nonstop round trip to Will Rogers World Airpo11 in Oklahoma City. As the matter is still pending, I cannot comment on the merits ofthe points raised in your letter. However, Ican assure you that all applications received by the U.S. Department of Transportation will be given due and careful consideration. 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 acopy ofyour letter and this response in docket number DOT-OST-2000-7182. 1appreciate your interest in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International AffairsCOMMITTEES Chair

-M/WBEandSmall-- Controctor Dcvclopmenr and Contrnct Compliance Member Budgetnnd Fiscal Affairs Developmentand Regulatory Affairs Ettlicsand Council Governance F.looding and Drninage lntcmationnl Business' Initiatives Neighborhood Protcciion and Quality ofLife Public Safety and Homeland Security soAnos Texas Municipal teague CONTACT Address P.O. Box 1562 Houston. TX 77251-1562 900 Bagby ist Floor Houston-, TX 77002 Telephone Ph: 832.393.3011 Fax: 832.393.3313 Email Djstrjc!j@hOtistonLx.gov December 17,2012 The Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary ofTransportation U.S. Department ofTransportation 1200NewJersey Avenue, SE Washjngton, DC**20590~00**1 Re: DocketNo. DOT**~OST**-'2000-7182 Dear Secretary LaHood: 

### I am writing to express my supportfor SouthwestAirlines' application fortwo slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Southwest proposes 

### to use this slot exemption to begin daily nonstop service ben.veen DCA and Willial1'i P. HobbyAirport. The Houston-DCA market is underserved and overpriced. As the Nation's largest low-cost airline, Southwest is well suited to provide significant**~onsumer** benefits in this important market. Since 1971, Southwest has a proven track record oflowering ticket prices and stinmlatingpassenger traffic in the markets it enters. New competition, lower airfares, and the use ofSouthwest's 143 seat aircraft is projected to attract tens-of-thousands of new passengers and generate millions of dollars of consumer benefits annually in the Houston-DCA market Thank you for your time andattention to this matter. I hope·you will give our application your utmost consideration. Sincerely,

Jame odriguez Council Member, DistrittI J. '- :- •• 

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