# 0**U.~~·.P,~affn:t!llnt** 

## otTranspprtG'tJpn**Oftt~** 

### ..**~fthec$'e~f~TY 9t~q~!()t)**  

### .

### Mr~ 

## Steven 

# a, Falk



## :P@Si(lentand CBO San 

## FranciseoOhumber ofC6nunerce 

## 215 Mcmtgomery Street, I**2~ 11**  

### FlPPJ' StW**Franci~~¢~** 

### 94'1:04 

## Dear 

# Mr, l1

## ttlk: !(]: 

## 11

Thank

## you.foryour letter to Secretary ofTransportati0n Ray LaHoodtsuppartlng:the·application**ofVirginAmerica,Jil~·** 

## for foqr beyond•:perimeter 

## slot ex.emptions at**~auald** 

## Reagan ·· 

## Washington Natio.na1 Airport (DC}\:), ·Ifawardeq 

## .those· exemptions, Virgin**Am~rica** 

## W:q;Uld 

## provide two daiil)'! round

..tripflights.fromDCAto SanFrancisc.o. Sec.retary LaHo.odhas asked**tbafl~p~l\d toyol1flett~r:**  

## · 

## Underaltthoriiy granted in the FAA 

## MPdemizationand Reform 

## Aet·of2Pl2, the 

# u.s. Deparbiiertt ofTra,nsportation 

## will be awarding 

## to 

# new entriult t;Jtlimit¢d·incumbeJ1t carriers a 

## total of

## eight sl()texemptiotlS 

## at DCA,whieh would 

## support fotir. daily 

## row1d**trips~** 

## We teeeived**Vt~~iri** 

# America's sl\lplication Qtl 

## March 12,.

## 20**12~ Oth¢rtifuelyappl~cati(,)nS**  

## were**re•~iveu~fromAir** 

## Canada, proposing one round trip,

## to**Vat1couver~ British~** **Columbia~'** 

## Alaska**A:ir,ines~** 

# one toWicHriptQ 

## :PQrtlapd, ()reg(ln, @d on@: ro\)nd-trip to $anJliego; 

## F,rontier Airlines, 

## one. rountltrip'to Colorado Springs and·

## beyond to 

## San Diego; 

## JetBl!!e'**Ait"Ways~** 

## one round trip to 

## San Juan,. Puerto !Uco, and one round trip to Austin,**·Texas~.**

## S()uthwest Airlines,. one r()utfd 

## trip to Austin 

## and 

## 8an Diego 

## beyond; and Sun Countey:A·itlines, .pne round. 

## trip to 

## Las. Vegas. 

## As the matte,r 

## is still p.ending, we 

## cannot**~;:omment** 

## on the 

## n'lerlts ()f

## the p()ints mise'd 

## in your**l~ei'** 

## •. 86wevet, I

..cM.assureyou 

## tga.t.all**appliootionsJheDepwtrnenl~eceivedwiU** 

## be. given 

# run: :andfa:it.considerati{)n ana will 

## be evaluated agairtsttheselection :criteria specified in,th¢ 

## statUte. The Departm¢nt's 

## aeti6n on this matteris being administered 

## through 'a 

## public docket, 

## which**allow~**

## all interested ·parties the opporturtity to 

# conunent.**Followin~** 

## our

# normal**pro¢ti~e, ~~Ill.** **placing~** 

## copy 

## ofyour letter·and this 

## response tn 

## docket number**Dbt,.zol2~0oz,9.** 

## We appreciate your intetesrinthis 

## matter.**.S~san** L

.. l<udand 

## Assistant Sooretaryfor 

## Aviation and 

## International AffairsSAN FRANCISCO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Where smart business starts.

Steven B. 

### Falk President & CEO March 

### 2, 2012
The Honorable Raymond H. LaHood Secretary U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590


### Re: Docket No. OST-2012·0029, Application of Virgin America Inc. for "Beyond-Perimeter" Slots
Dear Secretary LaHood: The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce representing over 1,500 local businesses, strongly supports Virgin America's proposal to provide two nonstop flights between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Reagan National Airport (DCA). As the only airline headquartered here in San Francisco, Virgin America is uniquely suited to bring meaningful low-fare airline competition to the DCA-Bay Area routes. Historically, the Bay Area has been shut out of nonstop DCA service, with all previous flight awards being made to non-California airports- with the exception of a single daily Los Angeles flight. Prior DCA awa'fds:f1ave

### been'madEdO~a nu'mberof snialler dtie"S'an'd markets,induding Denver and Phoenix. Because 

### SFO has been the largest market without nonstop flights to DCA, local consumers and businesses have been the ones to suffer with limited**option~-** essentially trave_l to Washington Dulles, or the option of taking a one-stop connecting 'tllght when

### trav~ling to downto,wn Washingto'n D.C. Whi:m making this criticai decision, 1 urge you to consider the positive Impact of impn:lving the · connectjon between Washington D.C. and the Bay Area's powerful innovation-based economy. Allocation oftwo round-trip flights to Virgin America- our hometown carrier- 

## will provide assurance that the Bay Area 

### will finally have efficient, modern and low-fare nonstop flight'service to DCA. It will also guarantee that local consumers and businesses reap the benefit that only real competition can provide. Since its August 2007launch, Virgin America has lowered fares and provided a unique new service option for local travelers. The Wall StreetJournal went so far as to describe the low-fare airline's impact on fares as "the Virgin effect." 1 In addition, with fleetwide WiFi, power outlets, touch-screen entertainment and new aircraft, Virgin America;s

### inves~ment in its business-friendly product has

### off~,red an inventive new service option for tech-forward corporate travelers in the Bay Area. · When more airlines'tompete, consumers and regional economies win- with lower 1:ares and improved service. The award of two roundtrip flights to Virgin America will ensure that lqcal business travelers will benefit

### fro~**~eal** competition in the DCA

### rnar~~t~ 

## Pr.**beh~lfof** our region, Bay

### ~rea travelers and the

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The Virgin Effect: Lower Cross-Country Fares," Wall StreetJournal, October 30, 2007. ! ,,,,., .. :··

.. '. ,,. ! ·. .

# .. ·

235 Montgomery St., 12th Flr., San Frandsco•. CA 94104 • tel41_5 392 4520 I fax 415 392 0485 

# s 10-120308-034business community, the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce urges you to approve Virgin America's proposal. Sincerely,

Steve Falk President and CEO San Francisco Chamber of Commerce



# s 10-120308-034