U.S.Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary ofTransportation
Mr. Ron Roberts Chairman San Diego County Board ofSupervisors County Administration Center 1600 Pacific Highway, Room 335 SanDiego, CA 92101-2470

Dear Mr. Roberts: Assistant Secretary April 12, 2012 1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E. Washington, DC 20590

c:o Thank you for your letter to Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the application ofAlaska Airlines, Inc., for two beyond-perimeter slot exemptions atRonald Reagan WashingtonNational Airport (DCA) to serve San Diego International Airport with one round trip per day from DCA. Secretary LaHood asked that I respond to your letter. Under authority granted inthe FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012, the U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant or limited incumbent carriers a total ofeight 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 March 12. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Frontier Airlines, 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; Southwest Airlines, one round trip to Austin and San Diego beyond; 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 onthe 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 inthe statute.Page 2, Roberts
The Department's action onthis 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 ofyour letter and this response in docket number DOT-2012-0029. I appreciate your interest inthis matter. Sincerely yours,

Susan 

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The Honorable Ray LaHood U.S. Department ofTransportation 1200 New Jersey A venue. SE Washington, D.C. 20590 .. ·.·· ··'.'

SUBJECT: Alaslm Airlines' Application for**SAN~DCA,** DocketNo. DOT-OST-2012-0029 Dear Secretary LaHood: I 

### am pleased to write to you today in support ofAlaska Airlines' application for 

### air service between San Diego and Washington Reagan National Airp011 (DCA). As you know, San Diego is the largest region without direct service to DCA, despite generating significant market demand for this route. San Diego's sheer market size for travel to our nation's capital, coupled with the tltet that San Diego to Dulles average airfares are the highest ofwest coast cities, should gualif}' us 

### tot· the limited slots available for this flight. As you may be aware, San Diego's economy is heavily reliant on the biomedical, telecommunications and government sectors, along with tourism. These industries require timely and convenient access to Reagan National Airport. Alaska Airlines' service would add a needed nonstop option to Washington, D.C. For these reasons, Ijoin 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 ofCommerce in suppo11 of Alaska Airlines' application for ::en:ice between San Diego and Wa1.hington Re.-tgan National Airport. 

### On behalf

### ofthe 

### San Diego business community, 

### Ithank you for your interest in our perspective on this matter ofgreat importance to our regional economyand look forward to your favorable consideration ofthis request.



### RON ROBERTS Chairman San Diego County Board ofSupervisors



### 510-120327-134 Cc.uNrY**Ac•M•~u~:·rnAIH)N** CtNHn • 1600 PA.CIFIC l·hGtNIA¥, RooM 335 • S"N D•c••o. CAutor.NIJ, 92101-2470 (619) 531·5544 • FAx (619) 531·6262 • E·Mail: Ron.Roberts@sdcounty.ca.gov WWW.fOI"llObt•tt!J..(;OITI @ Printed Qn recycled paper