u.s. Department of 

Transportation 

Office of the Secreta!)' 

of Transportation 

The Honorable David Dewhurst 

Lieutenant Governor of Texas 

Austin, TX 78711-2068 

Dear Lieutenant Governor Dewhurst: 

Assistant Secretary 

April 20, 2012 

1200 New Jersey Ave .. S.E. 

Washington. DC 20590 

Thank you for your letter to Secretary of Transportation 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 of Transportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent 

carriers a total of eight 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 comment on the merits of the 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 a copy of your letter and this response in docket number DOT-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 of the Senate 

l-800-441-0373 

Fax: 512-936-6700 

Dial 711 for Rch1y Calls 

The Honorable Ray· LaHood 

Secretary of Transportation 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, DC 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

April 3, 2012 

This letter is submitted in full support of the applications filed for exemption slots 

at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) for nonstop capital-to-capital 

service to Austin~ Bergstrom Intemational Airport (AUS). 

With the Austin MSA projected population to reach 2 million by 2015, Austin is 

also one of the best-performing economies. Austin's strong economy is one of the best 

reasons to approve the necessary slot exemptions for nonstop service. 

Since January 2011, companies in the Austin metropolitan area have added over 

1 0,000 new jobs. 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 the necessary slot exemptions for non-stop A US-DCA to further 

cement the commercial and cultural ties between the capital of the world's leading nation 

and the capital of one of that nation's leading states. 

Thank you for your consideration of Austin during the slot award process. Please 

contact me if I may provide any further assistance to you during this process. 

Sincerely, 

~~~ 

David Dewhurst 

Lieutenant Governor 

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