U.S.Departmentof 

### Transportation OffiCeof

### thesecretary ofTransportation



### Ms. !bellaF. Bowens President/CEO April U. 2012



### San Diego County Regional Airport Authority San Diego International Airport P.O. Box 82776 San Diego, CA 92138-2776
Dear

## Ms. Bowens; Thankyou for your letterto Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application ofAlaska Airlines, Inc., for two beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan WashingtenNational Airport (DCA) to serve San Diego International Airport with one round trip perday from DCA. Secretary LaHood asked that l respond to yourletter. Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization andReform Act**of20t2~** 

### the U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to newentrantorlimited incumbent carriers atotal ofeight slotexemptions atDCA, which would $upport four daily round trips. We received Alaska's.application, which also proposes one daily round trip to Portland, Oregon, on March 12. Othertimely applications were received ftom Air Canada, proposing one round trip to 

### Vancouver, British Columbia; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs 

### and beyond to San Diego; JetBlue Airlines. one round trip to SanJuan, Puerto Rico, and one round trip. to Austin, Texas; SouthwestAirlines, one round trip to Austin and San Diego beyond; S.un Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc.1

### two round trips to San Francisco. As the matter is still pending. I cannotcomment on the merits ofthe points raised in your letter. However, 1canassure you that all applications the Departmentreceive(! 

### will be given 

### full and fairconsideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute.**,....------------~------**



### Page 2, Bowens
TheDepartment1 S

### action onthis matter is being administered through a public doekett which allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, I 

### am placing 

### acopy of yourletterand this response in docket number DOT-2012-0029. Iappreciate your interestin this matter.

77 

### S**11~ ~III!II~IJlUII**  ' 

### Sincerely**yours~**



### Susan L, Kurland AssistantSecretary for Aviation and International Affairs

### SAN DIEGO COUNTV R.EGIONAL AIRPORT AlJTHORITY

P.O. BOX 82776. SAN 1>1E<20. CA 92138-2776 619.400.2400**\-/VIW.SAN.Or~c;.** March 9, 2012 The Honorable Ray LaHood U.S. Department of Transportation 1200 New Jersey Ave, SE Washington, DC 20590 Re: Alaska Airlines' application for SAN-DCA, Docket No. DOT·OST-2012-0029 Dear Secretary LaHood: The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority is pleased to support the application of Alaska Airlines for nonstop air service between San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). San Diego has the largest passenger market demand to Reagan National without announced nonstop service. Due to a profound community of interest between the two cities, over 125,000 passengers annually travel between San Diego International Airport and Reagan National, the convenient and close-in airport serving our nation's capital. Alaska's SAN-DCA proposal will benefit the most number of established passengers without a nonstop service option. Alaska Airlines, San Diego's fastest growing carrier, adding six destinations in the last two years, will also provide much needed competition in the greater Washington

- San Diego air service market. Airfares between Dulles and San Diego are over $300 oneway, the highest of majorwest coast cities. From a capacity standpoint, the San Diego region is in dire need of a flight to a new Washington gateway. Flights from San Diego to**perip~E:)r,~l.** YVC1l)hington**ai,rpe>rt~. ar~.** **~urrently** 

### e1t fljll.<;apacity. The DCA-SAN market size coupled with high airfares and tight capacity should qualify it for a pair of the limited slots available. San Diego has a. myriad of business synergies vvith Washington, DC. San Diego is home to a broad mixof health science, telecommunications; natiohaldefense, government, convention and leisure travelers that need quick and convenient access to Reagan National Airport. Alaska Airlines service would add a needed nonstop option to the primary air gateway in Washington, DC. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and our regional economic development partners voice our strong support of Alaska Airlines' application for San Diego -Washington Reagan National slots. We thank the Department of Transportation.for the opportunity to comment on the above-referenced docket and we hope to hear of

## afavorable review ofAlaska Airlines' San Diego

- DCA proposal soon. ·

TFB/hb 

### SAN.DIEGO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT