BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C.

2013/2014 U.S.

- Brazil Combination Frequency Allocation Proceeding ) ) ) ) ) ) Docket DOT

- OST

- 2013

- 0072

ANSWER OF THE ATLANTA PARTIES

Communications with respect to this document should be addressed to:

Louis Miller, Aviation General Manager City of Atlanta Hartsfield

- Jackson Atlanta International Airport 6000 N. Terminal Pkwy Atrium, Suite 4000 Atlanta, GA 30320 William Pate , President & CEO Atlanta Convention & Visitor s Bureau 233 Peachtree Street, NE Suite 1400 Atlanta, GA 30303

Sam Williams , President Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce 235 Andrew Young International Blvd. NW Atlanta, Georgia 30303

May 3, 2013BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C.

2013/2014 U.S.

- Brazil Combination Frequency Allocation Proceeding ) ) ) ) ) ) Docket DOT

- OST

- 2013

- 0072

ANSWER OF THE ATLANTA PARTIES
The Atlanta Parties (including Hartsfield

- Jackso n Atlanta International Airport,

Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce)
strongly support the application of Delta Air Lines, Inc. (“Delta”) to increase service

between Atlanta and Sao Paulo

. Sao Paulo is the largest and most important market in

South America, and Atlanta is the world’s largest airline hub. Additional service at
Atlanta will not only benefit the Atlanta metro region, but will improve service and
competition throughout the United States, given the unparalleled convenience and

number of flights offered by Delta at its largest hub.
Atlanta has already proven itself a successful gateway to Brazil, with daily
nonstop service to Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Atlanta’s recent $1.4 billion investment

in a dedicated International Terminal further enhances Hartsfield

- Jackson Atlanta
International Airport (“ ATL ”) and its ability to support an additional frequency to Sao

Paulo . The International Terminal i s a state

- of

– the

- art facility with efficient baggage
and security check processes and world

- class retail, restaurants and business services.Answer of the Atlanta Parties Page 2

ATL is an optimal gateway to connect Sao Paulo and Brazil to the entire United

States. It is the world’s busiest airport, w ith 1,000 daily flights se rving 150 destinations
throughout the United States. Atlanta’s location in the Southeastern United States
provides convenient, competitive, and non

- circuitous Sao Paulo connections. The

availab ility of new time of day coverage and increased capacity on this route will allow
more passengers to take advantage of the Atlanta hub gateway. With just a single daily
Sao Paulo flight, the potential of the Atlanta hub is underutilized.
The strength o f the Atlanta Gateway, backed by Delta’s extensive connecting
complex at ATL , enables travelers and shippers across the country to enjoy important
new travel options. Metro Atlanta is one of the top three distribution cities in the U.S.

– with 40 percent of North American manufacturing and distribution locations within 500
miles of the city. Moreover, granting Delta a second Atlanta

- Sao Paulo flight helps
sustain airport and airline employment in Atlanta, and produces other economic ancillary

benefits for Georgia and the Atlanta region.

The Atlanta Parties also encourage the Department to promote competition

betw een the carriers serving Brazil by selecting Delta to provide a second daily ATL
flight. U.S.

- Sao Paulo service is currently dominated by American Airlines . G rant ing
Delta’s request will not only create important service benefits for the traveling public but
will substantially improve the U.S.

- Brazil competitive market structure. As Delta’s
Application Supplement explains, Del ta’s U.S.

- Sao Paulo network is at a disadvantage to
the four daily Miami

- Sao Paulo flights operated by American, which will soon be
combined with a fifth daily Charlotte

- Sao Paulo flight operated by US Airways. New

service at Atlanta will help close this competitive gap

– and help to offset the reduction inAnswer of the Atlanta Parties Page 3
competitive options for scores of U.S. cities that will lose a one

- stop competitive
alternative as the result of the consolidation of the US Airways and American networks.
Atlanta is ideally situated in the southeast region to provide vigorous intergateway
competition to the American/US Airways hubs at Miami and Charlotte.

WHEREFORE, T he Atlanta P arties urge the Department to award a second

Atlanta

- Sao Paulo flight to Delta.
Respectfully submitted,

_________________________________ Louis Miller, Aviation General Manager City of Atlanta Hartsfield

- Jackson Atlanta International Airport

_________________________________ William Pate, President & CEO Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau

__________________________________ Sam Williams, President Metro Atlanta Chamber of CommerceCERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
A copy of the foregoing Appli cation has been served this 3rd day of May , 201 3
, upon the following persons via email:

s ascha.vanderbellen@delta.com Francis.Heil@aa.com Robert.Wirick@aa.com howard.kass@usairways.com benjamin.slocum@usairways.com dan.weiss@united.com thomas.bolling@united.com paul.gretch@dot.gov esta.rosenberg@dot.gov brian.hedberg@dot.gov brett.kruger@dot.gov urskr@state.gov joe.cambron@wcaa.us brubinst@panynj.gov louis.miller@atlanta

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