o 

ULS.DMXirtnMntOf Assisrant Secretary 1200 N«w Jersey Avenue, SE 

Ttamportatlon Woshington, DC 20590 

Office of the Secretary 

of Transportation 

DEC 0 3 2010 

Mr. George E. Ross, Ph.D. 

President 

Central Michigan University 

Office of the President 

WarrinerHall 106 

Mount Pleasant, MN 48859 

Dear Mr. Ross: 

Thank you for your letter of November 17 to Secretary LaHood supporting Sun Country 

Airlines to serve Lansing, Michigan, with continuing service to Minneapolis/St. Paul, 

Minnesota, in the ongoing slot-exemption proceeding at Ronald Reagan Washington 

National Airport (DCA). The Secretary has asked that I respond to your letter directly. 

As you know, the U.S. Department of Transportation commenced a proceeding on 

August 30 to reallocate two DCA slot exemptions that are currently held by Republic 

Airline, Inc. (Republic) as a result of its acquisition of Midwest Airlines. Republic has 

been using these two slot exemptions for DCA - Kansas City service. These slot 

exemptions may be used to serve any medium hub or smaller airport within the 1,250-

mile perimeter of DCA. 

We have received a total of five proposals, briefly outlined below: 

• Sun Country to serve Lansing continuing onto Mirmeapolis/St. Paul with 129- or 

162-seat aircraft; 

e Republic, branded as Frontier Airlines, to continue to serve Kansas City, 

Missouri, with 99-seat regional jet aircraft; 

e Southwest Airlines Co., to serve Kansas City utilizing 137-seat aircraft; 

• US Airways, Inc., to serve Pensacola, Florida, utilizing 76- or 86-seat regional jet 

aircraft, depending on the season; and 

• Air Tran Airways, Inc., to serve either Fort Myers or Sarasota, Florida, utilizing 

either 117- or 137-seat aircraft. 

As the slot exemption proceeding is competitive and is currently under review by the 

Department, I am sure you understand that I carmot comment on the merits of the 

proposals. I assure you, however, that the Department will fully consider all of the 
Mr. George E. Ross, Ph.D. 

Page 2 

proposals, and make its award based on the selection criteria detailed in the governing 

statutes. 

As is our normal practice, I am placing a copy of your letter and my response in Docket 

DOT-OST-2000-7182 as a contact outside the record of this proceeding. If I can provide 

further information or assistance, please feel free to call me. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and International Affairs 
.SlO-lOt122-009 

Office of the President 

November 17,2010 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretaty of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

I am writing in support of Sun Country Airline's recent application for an available 

landing and takeoff slot at Reagan National Airport. The application is for a flight 

between Minneapolis, MN and Washington, D.C, via Lansing, Michigan. 

Central Michigan University supports Sun Country's application because it would expand 

airline competition in a limited market (Lansing, MI), and it would also boost fare 

competition for travelers in Minnesota, Michigan, and Washington, D.C. 

In addition to the obvious benefits to our region's travelers, it would also provide an 

immediate economic benefit to our region. The Lansing region is home to numerous 

non-profit organizations, businesses, universities, and state employees who travel 

regularly to Washington, D.C. to conduct business. The Lansing region is also a 

destination point for federal agency personnel, U.S. and international researchers, and 

business entrepreneurs. A direct flight from Lansing to D.C. will continue to support the 

economic development of our region. 

I appreciate your consideration of Sun Country Airline's application and hope the 

Department of Transportation will approve the application. 

Sincerely, 

George ^Ross, Ph.D. 

President 

cc: Senator Carl Levin 

cc: Senator Debbie Stabenow 

HHONE (989) 774-Jli l • KAX 1989) 774-3Lib5 

WARRlNEBHALLtOb • CENTRAL MICHIGAN UNIVHRSirt- MOUNT PLEASANT. MfChlGAN 4B9S9