U.S. Department of 

Transportation 

OffiCe of the secretary 

of Transportation 

Ms. !bella F. 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; 

Thank you for your letter to Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application 

of Alaska Airlines, Inc., for two beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan 

Washingten National Airport (DCA) to serve San Diego International Airport with one round 

trip per day from DCA. Secretary LaHood asked that l respond to your letter. 

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of20t2~ the 

U.S. Department of Transportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent 

carriers a total of eight slot exemptions at DCA, 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. Other timely 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 San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one round 

trip. to Austin, Texas; Southwest Airlines, 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 cannot comment on the merits of the points raised in your letter. 

However, 1 can assure you that all applications the Department receive(! will be given full and 

fair consideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute. 
,....------------~------

Page 2, Bowens 

The Department1S action on this matter is being administered through a public doekett which 

allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, I am 

placing a copy of your letter and this response in docket number DOT -2012-0029. 

I appreciate your interest in this matter. 

77 S 11~ ~III!II~IJlUII ' 

Sincerely yours~ 

Susan L, Kurland 

Assistant Secretary 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 major west 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 mix of 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 a favorable review of Alaska Airlines' 

San Diego - DCA proposal soon. · 

TFB/hb 

SAN.DIEGO 

INTERNATIONAL 

AIRPORT