U.S.Depatrment of 

Transportation 

Office of 'the Secretary 

of lronsportalfon 

Mr. Michael W. Kelley 

Chairman 

Imperial County Board of Supervisors 

940 West Main Street, Suite 209 

EI Centro, CA 92243 

Dear Mr. Kelley: 

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

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

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

trip per day from DCA. Secretary LaHood asked that I respond to yoor letter. 

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act Qf 2012., 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 Alaska's application, which also proposes one daily round trip to Portland~ Oregon, 

on Match 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 Airline~ 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; Sun 

Coun~ 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. 

Howevert I can assure you that all applications the Department received wiU be given full and 

fair consideration $1d wUI be evaluated against the selection criteria specified in the statute. 
.• 1 

Page 2, Kelley 

The Department's action on this matter is being administered through a public dockett 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 -20 12·0029. 

I appreciate your interest ln. this matter. 

Sincerely yours, 

Susan L. Kurland 

Assistant Secretary for 

Aviation and lntemational Affairs 
-DISTRICT 1 

JOHN RENISON 

. DISTRICT2 

JACK TERRAZAS 

DISTRICT3 

MICHAEL W. KELLEY 

DISTRICT4 

GARY WYATT 

DISTRICTS 

RAY CASTILLO 

The Honorable Ray LaHood 

U.S. Department ofTransportation 

1200 New Jersey Ave, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

COUNTY ADMINISTRATION CENTER 

940 MAIN STREET, SUITE 209 .. . . . . 

EL CENTRO, CA, 92243-2871 

TELEPHONE: (760) 482-4220 

FAX: (760) 482-4215 

March 20,2012 

Re: SUPPORT Alaska Airlines' application for SAN-DCA, Docket No. DOT-OST-2012-0029 

Dear Secretary LaHood: ------ ·- -···~~. ·-----··- ---··-····-· ---· -···--------- --------·-.. ···· -------------- ·-------------------------- --~-·-···· ------------------------ ......... ··----------------- ---- ·-.----. 

The Board of Supervisors of the County of Imperial fully supports the application of Alaska Airlines for air 

service between San Diego and Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA). San Diego is the largest reg~on 

without announced service to DCA. Additionally, due to the profound community of interest between San Diego 

and the nation's capital, the region generates the largest passenger market demand without nonstop service to the 

convenient and close-in airport serving our nation's capital. ' 

San Diego's sheer market size coupled with the fact that San Diego,;.. Dulles average airfares are the highest of 

west coast cities should qualify it for a pair of the limited slots available. The high airfare is exacerbated when 

factoring in taxi fares from Dulles to Washington's city center that average about $60 each way. This means 

travelers between Washington's city center and San Diego via Dulles can pay on average close to $400 one-way. 

The situation for travelers from Imperial County is further exacerbated by the fact that the distance from this 

remote corner of California requires at least a two hour drive just to get to San Diego, before having to go through 

the check-in and security clearance process. This can add from $100 to $200 in fuel costs to the average traveler 

from Imperial County on top of the already high airfares ~nd taxi fares that have become an accepted part of 

business travel for Imperial residents. 

There are also countless Imperial County-based entities that are engaged in government, agriculture, renewable 

energy, national security, and national defense that need quick and convenient access to Reagan national Airport. 

The County of Imperial has an immediate need for additional nonstop air service to our nation's capital. Alaska 

Airlines service would add a needed nonstop option to a primary gateway to Washington, DC. Imperial County 

joins with the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, the San Diego Regional Economic Development 

Corporation, the World Trade Center San Diego, and the San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce in 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. 

Sincerely, t} 

./VI;/ 14 orj -/) ld K..ih_. / «~airman -/ 

Imperial County Board of Supervisors 

s 1 0~ 120321-054