### u.s. Departmentof Transportation Office ofthe Secreta!)' ofTransportation The Honorable David Dewhurst Lieutenant Governor ofTexas Austin, TX 78711-2068 Dear Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst: Assistant Secretary April 20, 2012 1200 New Jersey Ave

.. S.E. Washington. DC 20590

Thankyou for your letter to Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the award of beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to be used for nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. Secretary LaHood asked me to respond to your letter. Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the U.S. Department 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 applications proposing to serve AUS from two carriers, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Each sought two slot exemptions, which would support one daily DCA-AUS round trip; JetBlue also applied for two slot exemptions to serve San Juan, Puerto Rico. 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 round trip to San Diego; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; Sun Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc., two round trips to San Francisco. As the matter is still pending, I cannot commenton 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 Department's action on this matter is being administered through a public docket, which allows all interested parties the opportunity to comment. Following our normal practice, I am placing acopy ofyour letter and this response in docket numberDOT-2012-0029. I appreciate your interest in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs

# David Dewhurst The Capitol Austin, Texas 78711-2068 512-463-0001 

### Lieutenant Governor ofTexas President ofthe Senate l-800-441-0373 Fax: 512-936-6700 Dial 711 for Rch1y Calls

The Honorable Ray·LaHood SecretaryofTransportation U.S. DepartmentofTransportation 1200 NewJersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20590 Dear Secretary LaHood: April 3, 2012

This letter is submitted in full support ofthe applications filed for exemption slots at Ronald Reagan WashingtonNational Airport (DCA) for nonstop capital-to-capital service to**Austin~**Bergstrom Intemational Airport (AUS). With the AustinMSAprojected populationto reach 2 millionby 2015, Austin is also one ofthebest-performing economies. Austin's strong economy is one ofthe best reasons to approve the necessary slot exemptions for nonstop service. Since January 2011, companies inthe Austinmetropolitan areahave added over 10,000 newjobs. These companies include high-tech and financial services companies which have regulatory and commercial ties with Washington. Non-stop DCA-AUS service is crucial for these companies to effectively communicate and work with Washington decision-makers. Please award thenecessary slot exemptions for non-stop AUS-DCA to further cement the commercial and cultural ties betweenthe capital ofthe world's leadingnation and the capital ofone ofthat nation's leading states. Thank you for your consideration ofAustin duringthe slot award process. Please contactme ifI may provide any further assistance to you during this process. Sincerely,

# ~~~ David Dewhurst Lieutenant Governor - 

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