BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D. C. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Application of : 

 : 

 AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. : DOT-OST-2010- 

 : 

under 49 USC 40l09 for allocation of : 

three weekly U.S.-Brazil combination : 

frequencies (DFW-Rio de Janeiro) : 

--------------------------------------------- 

 

APPLICATION OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. FOR ALLOCATION 

OF THREE WEEKLY U.S.-BRAZIL COMBINATION FREQUENCIES 

(DALLAS/FT. WORTH-RIO DE JANEIRO) 

 

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to: 

VIRASB VAHIDI WILLIAM K. RIS, JR. 

Senior Vice President - Senior Vice President - 

 Planning Government Affairs 

American Airlines, Inc. American Airlines, Inc. 

P.O. Box 619616, MD 5634 1101 17th Street, N.W. 

DFW Airport, Texas 75161 Washington, D.C. 20036 

 

KENJI C. HASHIMOTO CARL B. NELSON, JR. 

Vice President – Strategic Associate General Counsel 

 Alliances American Airlines, Inc. 

American Airlines, Inc. 1101 17th Street, N.W. 

P.O. Box 619616, MD 5635 Washington, D.C. 20036 

DFW Airport, Texas 75261 (202) 496-5647 

 carl.nelson@aa.com 

ROBERT A. WIRICK 

Director, Regulatory Affairs 

American Airlines, Inc. 

P.O. Box 619616, MD 5635 

DFW Airport, Texas 75261 

(817) 963-0394 

robert.wirick@aa.com 

July 8, 2010 
BEFORE THE 

 DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

 WASHINGTON, D. C. 

--------------------------------------------- 

Application of : 

 : 

 AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. : DOT-OST-2010- 

 : 

under 49 USC 40l09 for allocation of : 

three weekly U.S.-Brazil combination : 

frequencies (DFW-Rio de Janeiro) : 

--------------------------------------------- 

 

APPLICATION OF AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. FOR ALLOCATION 

OF THREE WEEKLY U.S.-BRAZIL COMBINATION FREQUENCIES 

(DALLAS/FT. WORTH-RIO DE JANEIRO) 

 American Airlines, Inc. hereby applies for allocation 

of three weekly U.S.-Brazil combination frequencies which we 

will use to operate year-round nonstop service three days a 

week between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Rio de Janeiro effective 

November 18, 2010. 

 American proposes to utilize 219-seat B763 aircraft 

(28C/191Y) for this service. Southbound, the flights will 

depart DFW on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 1945 and 

arrive in GIG at 1025 (+ 1). Northbound, they will depart GIG 

on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 2315 and arrive in DFW at 

0625 (+ 1). American has 50 B763 aircraft in its fleet all of 

which comply with FAR 36. American holds Dallas/Ft. Worth-Rio 

de Janeiro exemption authority most recently renewed by Notice 

of Action Taken, DOT-OST-1996-1353, July 7, 2009. 

 
- 2 - 

 There is currently no nonstop service between Dallas/Ft. 

Worth and Rio de Janeiro. By opening Dallas/Ft. Worth as a 

nonstop gateway to the second largest city in the largest 

country in South America, American will offer convenient new 

service in the local DFW-Rio de Janeiro market, as well as onestop on-line connecting service to dozens of cities via 

American’s large DFW hub. Most flights between the U.S. and 

Rio de Janeiro are now concentrated at eastern gateways Miami, 

Atlanta, Charlotte, and New York. A gateway at DFW linking Rio 

de Janeiro to the southwest region of the United States will 

provide substantial benefits to passengers and shippers. 

 Behind DFW, American will offer convenient on-line 

roundtrip connections to a number of major U.S. cities, 

including Albuquerque, Austin, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, 

Denver, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, 

Minneapolis/St. Paul, New Orleans, Phoenix, Portland, St. 

Louis, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, 

and Seattle. American recently entered into a codeshare 

alliance with Gol, Brazil’s largest carrier (DOT-OST-2010-

0009), and will offer AA* service on Gol beyond Rio de Janeiro 

to other cities in Brazil. 
- 3 - 

 There are three U.S.-Brazil frequencies in the unallocated pool which may be used to serve any point in Brazil 

except Sao Paulo (until infrastructure constraints at GRU are 

removed). It is well-established that when a carrier has firm 

plans to utilize limited-entry authority, such rights should be 

awarded without delay. See America West/Mesa, Notice of Action 

Taken, OST-2003-16444, February 13, 2004, p. 4 (“It is not our 

policy to allow valuable operating rights to go unused . . . 

when another carrier is interested in serving the routes and 

has firm plans to do so”); Continental (Newark-Buenos Aires), 

Order 2001-7-12, July 10, 2001, p. 4 (denying a dormancy waiver 

where “such a delay would waste valuable operating rights when 

other carriers have firm plans to use them”). 

 On June 23, 2010, Delta Air Lines filed an anticompetitive application to swap three of its regional Brazil frequencies for the three unrestricted frequencies in the unallocated 

pool (DOT-OST-2010-0162). Delta would not use these frequencies to serve Rio de Janeiro, or indeed to operate any new 

service at all. Instead, Delta would continue to operate its 

existing regional service from Atlanta to Brasilia and Manaus. 

Delta thus seeks to warehouse three unrestricted frequencies by 

assigning them to existing regional service, thus preventing 

another carrier from initiating new service to Rio de Janeiro. 
- 4 - 

 Delta proposed a similar frequency swap in DOT-OST2010-0090, a tactic the Department rejected less than a month 

ago by Notice of Action Taken, June 16, 2010. Just days later, 

on June 23, Delta was at it again with the current request. We 

are separately submitting an answer in DOT-OST-2010-0162 in 

opposition to Delta’s latest bid to swap frequencies, which the 

Department should again deny. 

 For the foregoing reasons, the Department should 

promptly allocate three weekly U.S.-Brazil combination frequencies to American so that we may begin promoting and selling 

our proposed new service between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Rio de 

Janeiro at the earliest possible date. 

 Respectfully submitted, 

 

 ___________________________ 

 CARL B. NELSON, JR. 

 Associate General Counsel 

 American Airlines, Inc. 

July 8, 2010 


CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 

 I hereby certify that I have this day served the foregoing 

document by email on the following persons: 

 

sascha.vanderbellen@delta.com jhill@dlalaw.com 

scott.mcclain@delta.com bill@mietuslaw.com 

sametta.c.barnett@delta.com mgoldman@sgbdc.com 

kquinn@pillsburywinthrop.com rsilverberg@sgbdc.com 

bkeiner@crowell.com dhainbach@ggh-airlaw.com 

mrosia@crowell.com mcmillin@woa.com 

bruce.rabinovitz@wilmerhale.com eskraft@jamhoff.com 

jeffrey.manley@united.com dpdean@jamhoff.com 

bob.kneisley@wnco.com dkirstein@yklaw.com 

robert.land@jetblue.com jyoung@yklaw.com 

msinick@ssd.com donna.kooperstein@usdoj.gov 

cdonley@ssd.com dwight.moore@ustranscom.mil 

gbleopard@fedex.com john.allen@faa.gov 

dvaughan@kelleydrye.com byerlyjr@state.gov 

kevin.montgomery@polaraircargo.com recohn@hhlaw.com 

jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com cjsimpson@zsrlaw.com 

lhalloway@crowell.com pmurphy@lopmurphy.com 

efaberman@wileyrein.com lachter@starpower.net 

mroller@rollerbauer.com anita.mosner@hklaw.com 

howard.kass@usairways.com rpommer@atlasair.com 

benjamin.slocum@usairways.com gmurphy@crowell.com 

sophy.chen@hklaw.com russell.bailey@alpa.org 

david.heffernan@wilmerhale.com 

 

 

 _______________________________ 

 CARL B. NELSON, JR. 

July 8, 2010