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## ..
THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590

The Honorable Kay Bailey Hutchison United States Senate Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Hutchison: April16, 2012

Thank you for y9ur letter supporting the application ofSouthwest Airlines for two beyondperimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Southwest's application proposes to serve Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, texas, with one round trip per day from DCA.
Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the U.S. Depa.rtment ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent carriers atotal ofeight slot exemptions at DCA? which would support four daily round trips.

We received Southwest's application on March 12. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Alaska Airlines, one round trip to .Portland, Oregon. and one roundwtrip to San Diego; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; JetBlue**Airways~** one round trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one round trip to Austin. Texas; Sun Country Airlines. one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, lnc., two round trips to San .FranciliiCO.

As the matter is still pending, l cannot comment on the merits ofthe points raised in your letter. However, I can assure you that all applications the Department received will.be given full and fair consideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute.
The**Dep~ent'**s action on this matter is being administered through a public docket, which allows all interested parties the opportunity ·· mment. Following our al practice, lam placing a copy ofyour letter and this res in docket numbet DOT-2 029.

### The H®ot:able Ray LaHood Secretary**'OfTransport~tion** 

### U.S. DepartmentofTransportation 1200 

### NewJetsey**Avenue~** 

### S.E.**Washington~** 

### DC 20590

Dear Secretary LaHood: March 26, 2012**Cl:'lMM~J:** APP!lC\m!A'fle)N$**CQMMilR~!>ClllNC£, ANP"''::fAI\I$~AMN**  ' RJJtJ$ tXNO**APMII'iii!Fu\tl~**



### On March 12, 2011, 

### the Department ofTransportation (DOT) received seven applications from new entrant or limited ineumbentait cattiets at Ronald Reagan Washington Natinnal Airport(DC) for beyond-perimeter servjce. As a Senatorfrom TeX'asand 

### astrong advocate for increased competition, I 

### am 

### particularly interested and strongly supp'Qrlive ofthe Southwest 

### Airlines' applicationto initiate the first ever daily; nonstop flight between Austin-Bergstrom I11,ternational.Attport (AUSJ and DCA.

With apopulation ofnear 

### 800,000, Austin now tanks 

### as the 4thlargest city 

### in**Texli5l~ A~~ording**  

### to data from the 201 0 

### Census, Austin gt'CW 

### faster than any other

## mruotmetropolitan
area in

### the State over the ten year period. Austin•Bergstrom also saw record passengertrattie in 201 1

### With over9tnillion travelers, and SauthwestAirlines rated as the top caJ:rier choiee for over one..:thitd 

### of all passengers.

I 

### strongly urge DOT's favorable**con~ideratipn** 

### ofSopthwe$t's 

### proposal. An 

### award of

### two. slot exemptions for A US-DCA nonstop service by Southwest would.expand competition, capacity and service options atDCA, as well as inlprove.access and lower**tick~tprice$.**

### for

. . .. .· .. conv:enient and**~ordab1etrayel9ptionsto** 

### ti**fr9~ ·~** **rdmtr&P..nd.~atteni,rrmt(l):thisd.mpYS~t~** 

### :.: , ,;;{



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