BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

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Application of :

: 

UNITED AIR LINES, INC. and : Docket DOT-OST-2013-____

SKYWEST AIRLINES, INC. :

:

for exemptions pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 :

and designations (Houston-Queretaro, Tampico :

and Villahermosa, Mexico) :

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APPLICATION OF UNITED AIR LINES, INC.

AND SKYWEST AIRLINES, INC. FOR EXEMPTIONS AND DESIGNATIONS

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to:

Hershel I. Kamen

Senior Vice President-Alliances,

 Regulatory and Policy

Daniel A. Weiss

Managing Director-International

 Affairs and Regulatory

UNITED AIR LINES, INC.

77 West Wacker Drive

HDQIZ

Chicago, IL 60601

(312) 997-7573

hershel.kamen@united.com

dan.weiss@united.com

Steve Morrissey

Managing Director-Regulatory Affairs 

 and Policy

Karine R. Faden

Managing Counsel-Regulatory, Antitrust &

 Competition

UNITED AIR LINES, INC.

1225 New York Avenue, N.W.

Suite 1100 DCAIZ/DCALD

Washington, DC 20005

(202) 521-4373

(202) 521-4363

steve.morrissey@united.com

karine.faden@united.com

January 18, 2013

Thomas Newton Bolling

Vice President and Deputy General Counsel

Jonathan T. Linde

Senior Counsel-Regulatory, Antitrust &

 Competition

UNITED AIR LINES, INC.

77 West Wacker Drive

HDQLD

Chicago, IL 60601

(312) 997-8341

thomas.bolling@united.com

jonathan.linde@united.com

Todd Emerson

General Counsel

SKYWEST AIRLINES, INC.

444 South River Road

St. George, UT 84790

(435) 634-3530

temerson@skywest.com

Lorraine B. Halloway

Gerald F. Murphy

CROWELL & MORING LLP

1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington, DC 20004

(202) 624-2500

lhalloway@crowell.com

gmurphy@crowell.com

Counsel for

United Air Lines, Inc. and SkyWest Airlines, Inc.

NOTICE: The applicants have requested expedited treatment of this application. United will poll 

U.S. carrier representatives and inform the Department of the results. 
BEFORE THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

WASHINGTON, D.C.

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Application of :

: 

UNITED AIR LINES, INC. and : Docket DOT-OST-2013-____

SKYWEST AIRLINES, INC. :

:

for exemptions pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 :

and designations (Houston-Queretaro, Tampico :

and Villahermosa, Mexico) :

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APPLICATION OF UNITED AIR LINES, INC.

AND SKYWEST AIRLINES, INC. FOR EXEMPTIONS AND DESIGNATIONS

United1and SkyWest (d/b/a United Express) apply, pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 40109 and 

Subpart C of the Department's Rules of Practice, for exemptions from 49 U.S.C. § 41101

authorizing them to provide scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail 

between Houston and Queretaro, Tampico and Villahermosa, Mexico (the “Houston-Mexico 

Routes”) beginning in June 2013 and the U.S.-Mexico designations necessary to offer such 

service. United and SkyWest each ask for the requested exemption authority to be granted on a 

seasonal basis to allow United to codeshare on flights operated by SkyWest using CRJ-700 

aircraft. In addition, SkyWest requests an operating designation for these Houston-Mexico 

Routes, and United requests an amendment to its existing codeshare designation to permit it to 

display its “UA” designator code on SkyWest’s flights.

2

 United and SkyWest ask that their 

exemption authorities become effective as soon as possible and that the authorities be effective 

for a period of at least two years, subject to the Department’s standard conditions. United and 

 

1 Common names are used for airlines. 

2

See U.S. Dept. of Transp., U.S. Carrier Code-Share Notification, dated August 15, 

2011 (notifying Mexican authorities of United’s authority to codeshare on ExpressJet flights on 

various U.S.-Mexico routes). 
Application of United and SkyWest

Page 2

SkyWest also ask the Department to issue the necessary notices to Mexican authorities 

confirming the carriers’ authority to serve the Houston-Mexico Routes. 

United and SkyWest state as follows in support of this application:

1. Awarding Houston-Queretaro/Tampico/Villahermosa exemption authority to 

SkyWest (d/b/a United Express) and corresponding codeshare-only exemption authority for 

United to display its “UA” designator code on flights operated by SkyWest on these HoustonMexico Routes will permit them to provide service to meet seasonal demand in these markets 

using SkyWest’s CRJ-700 aircraft. United and SkyWest urge the Department to act promptly on 

this application so that they can secure foreign authority, make final operating plans and begin 

marketing the Houston-Queretaro/Tampico/Villahermosa flights well in advance of operations, 

which they plan to commence no later than June 2013, provided all necessary approvals have 

been secured.3 

2. United and SkyWest’s service on the Houston-Mexico Routes will provide 

substantial consumer benefits by expanding the service options available to the U.S. traveling 

public, including the online connections between points on United’s network served via its 

Houston hub. United and SkyWest will comply with the Department’s rules on codesharing as 

set forth in Part 257 of the Department’s Regulations. 

3. The authority sought by United and SkyWest fully complies with the terms of the 

U.S.-Mexico Air Transport Services Agreement (“U.S.-Mexico Agreement”), as amended. 

Route 1(a) of the U.S.-Mexico Agreement authorizes carriers designated by the United States to 

operate from “a point or points in the United States to a point or points in Mexico.” U.S.-Mexico 

Agreement, Annex I, A(1)(a). Further, the U.S.-Mexico Agreement permits the United States to 

 

3

 United will poll airline representatives and advise the Department of the results. 
Application of United and SkyWest

Page 3

designate two airlines to provide scheduled combination services between any point or points in 

the United States and Queretaro/Tampico/Villahermosa (see U.S.-Mexico Agreement, Annex I, 

B(4)) and permits designated airlines to enter into cooperative marketing arrangements with 

another airline provided they both hold appropriate authority and meet the requirements applied 

to such arrangements. See id., Annex III(1). Lastly, the United States is authorized to allocate 

up to 10 codeshare designations for each non-stop city pair segment. See id., Annex III(3). 

Sufficient designations are available for SkyWest to operate on the Houston-Mexico Routes and 

for United to codeshare on the SkyWest-operated services. 

4. United holds various certificates of public convenience and necessity and 

exemptions authorizing it to engage in scheduled air transportation of persons, property and mail 

between the U.S. and foreign countries, and United is fit, willing and able to provide the service 

for which it seeks authority. See, e.g., Orders 2007-4-19 (Blanket Open Skies), 2010-5-17 (U.S.-

Mexico) and 2011-3-14 (Continental/United route transfer); and Notices of Action Taken dated 

July 18, 2012 in Docket DOT-OST-2012-0113 (Chicago-Monterrey) and October 11, 2011 in 

Docket DOT-OST-1996-1368 (Houston-Mazatlan). Pursuant to Rule 24 of the Department’s 

Rules of Practice, United requests that the Department take official notice of all data that has 

been filed to establish its fitness. 

5. SkyWest holds various certificates of public convenience and necessity and 

exemptions authorizing it to engage in scheduled air transportation of persons, property and mail 

between the U.S. and foreign countries, and SkyWest is fit, willing and able to provide the 

service for which it seeks authority. See, e.g., Order 2008-4-26 (Blanket Open Skies); and 

Notices of Action Taken dated October 2, 2012 in Dockets DOT-OST-2006-25495 (Salt Lake 

City-Guadalajara/Mazatlan/San Jose del Cabo) and DOT-OST-2007-29016 (Salt Lake City-