### THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590



### The Honorable Jobn Cornyn United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Dear Senator Cornyn: April19, 2012



### Thankyou for yourletter supporting the application ofSouthwest Airlines.fortwo beyondperimeterslot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Southwest's application propo$es to serve**Austin~**

### Bergstrom International Airportwith one round trip perday from DCA 

### Underauthority granted inthe F M 

### Modernization 

### and Reform Act of2012,the U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrantor limited incumbent carriers atotal ofeight slotexemptions atDCA, which would support fourdaily round trips. We received Southwest's application on March 12. Othertimely applications were reci!!ived from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to 

### Vancouver, British Columbia; AlaskaAirlines. one round trip to Portland, Oregon, and one round trip to San Diego; FrontierAirlinest 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; Sun Country Airlines, one roundtrip to Las Vegas; and VirginAmerica, lnc.t two round trips to SanFrancisco. As the matteris 

### still pending, I cannot comment on the merits ofthe points raised in yourletter. However. Ican assure you that all applications the Departmentreceived will be given full and 

### fair consideration and will be 

### evaluated againstthe selection criteria specified in the statute. The Department's action on this matter is bein administered through apublic docket, Which allows all interested parties the opportuni · omment. Following our normal practice, Iam placing acopy ofyourletter and this r in docket numberDOT·2012 9. I appreciate your interest in

Ray LaHood-.· JOHI\l.CORNYN

The Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary ofTransportation U.S. Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. Washington, DC 20590 DocketDOT-OST-2012-0029 Dear Secretary LaHood: WASHINGTON, DC 20510-4305 March 22, 2012

As a Senator who represents millions ofTexans who live beyond Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport's (DCA) 1,250-mile perimeter, I believe the additional slot exemptions included in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012 (P.L. 112-95) represent a positive step towards free and open competition. I write to express my strong support for the application ofSouthwestAirlines to provide nonstop service between DCA and Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA). Over Southwest's many years serving the Austin market, its network has grown and today includes 52 daily nonstop flights to 19 cities. Led by its vibrant high-tech industry, Austin is home to dozens of corporate headquarters and trade associations, many ofwhich have regular business before the federal government. The Austin area has experienced tremendous growth in recent years, adding 286,000 residents between 2004 and 2009. This growth is driven by an expandingjob base, with 37,900jobs added between 2006 and 2011, and athriving climate for small-businesses. With approximately 77,000 origin and destination passengers traveling between Austin and DCA annually, Austin is the fourth largest beyond-perimeter market without nonstop DCA service today. Significantly, Austin-DCA is the most over-priced ofthe top ten largest beyond-perimeter markets without existing nonstop service. Increased competition will lead to lower fares in this market, benefitting Texas travelers and businesses. Therefore, an Austin-DCA route will ensure that these slot exemptions arc put to the highest and best use and that the public benefits are maximized to the greatest extentpossible. Given the extensive benefits ofthe proposed route, I urge the Departmentto grant Southwest's application for nonstop service between ABIA and DCA. Such service is long overdue and would provide significant competitive and economic benefits to the Austin metropolitan area. Thankyou for your consideration ofmy views in this matter.

United States Senator