BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C.

__________________________________________ 

 ) 

Application of ) 

 ) 

CSI AVIATION SERVICES, INC. ) 

 ) 

for an emergency exemption pursuant to ) DOT-OST-2009-0311 

49 U.S.C. § 40109 and 14 C.F.R. § 302.11 to ) 

continue to perform under General Services ) 

Administration Contract GS-33F-0025V, SIN ) 

599-5, Air Charter Services–Brokers ) 

__________________________________________) 

CSI AVIATION SERVICES, INC.’S 

RESPONSE TO GSA’S SUBMISSION

Communications with respect to this document should be sent to: 

 David M. Hernandez, Esq. 

 Vedder Price P.C. 

 875 15th Street NW, Suite 725 

 Washington, DC 20005 

 Direct: +1.202.312.3340 

 Fax: +1.202.312.3322 

 dhernandez@vedderprice.com 

 Attorney for CSI Aviation Services, Inc. 

Dated: March 5, 2010 
BEFORE THE 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 

__________________________________________ 

 ) 

Application of ) 

 ) 

CSI AVIATION SERVICES, INC. ) 

 ) 

for an emergency exemption pursuant to ) DOT-OST-2009-0311 

49 U.S.C. § 40109 and 14 C.F.R. § 302.11 to ) 

continue to perform under General Services ) 

Administration Contract GS-33F-0025V, SIN ) 

599-5, Air Charter Services–Brokers ) 

__________________________________________) 

CSI AVIATION SERVICES, INC.’S 

RESPONSE TO GSA’S SUBMISSION

Pursuant to the Department of Transportation’s (“DOT”)1

 March 3, 2010 request for 

interested parties to submit comments to GSA’s submission, CSI Aviation Services, Inc. 

(“CSI”) hereby responds as follows: 

1. On February 12, 2010, DOT asked GSA for a “a clear and definitive formal 

statement of GSA’s position on [CSI’s] application” and to “address the broader question of 

whether broker services are essential to GSA’s mission of procuring airlift for the Federal 

government or whether GSA has other means to accomplish this mission.”2

2. On March 1, 2010, GSA responded with a definitive formal statement that 

“GSA would support action that DOT determines appropriate, via exemption or otherwise, 

 

1

 Common names used.

2

 Letter from Kris E. Durmer to Robert S. Rivkin at 2, dated February 12, 2010 (“DOT Letter”).
Response to GSA Submission 

Page 2 

that would permit air charter broker services to continue to perform their GSA MAS 

contracts as well as contracts the brokers may have with other Federal agencies.”3 

3. GSA also stressed air charter broker services are essential to GSA’s mission 

of acquiring airlift for the Federal Government by, ironically, citing DOT’s Haitian Airlift 

exemptions. “This example demonstrates how a critical need is sometimes met only via air 

charter broker services.”4

 

4. Next, CSI strongly supports GSA’s position that “Acquisition by the Federal 

Government, however, is distinct in several ways from acquisitions in the private sector and 

does not present the consumer protections related concerns typically at issue in the private 

sector.”5

 

5. GSA lists a plethora of civil and criminal protections enjoyed by the Federal 

Government under the Federal Acquisition Regulations and other Federal laws not available 

in the public charter arena.6

6. CSI submits that GSA is a better authority regarding the protections afforded 

to the Federal Government under the FARs than DOT and therefore DOT should defer to 

GSA regarding whether DOT regulations concerning public charter protections should apply 

to GSA Federal government contracts. The two parties should meet face-to-face (as GSA 

suggests) to resolve the matter on a permanent basis. 

 

3

 Letter from Robert S. Rivkin to Kris E. Durmer, dated March 1, 2010 (“GSA Response”).

4 Id. at 3.

5

 Id. at 1.

6 Id. at 2.
Response to GSA Submission 

Page 3 

7. GSA’s submission also makes it clear that GSA has not conceded that DOT 

economic authority is required for Federal agencies to enter into contract with brokers.7 

8. CSI submits that it is GSA’s position that economic authority from DOT is 

unnecessary given the unique nature of government versus public charter operations and the 

applicability of the existing regulations to public charters. Moreover, as noted in the GSA 

Response, GSA supports CSI’s exemption in this venue because a favorable resolution would 

permit air charter brokers to perform their Federal contracts. GSA’s response is not a de 

facto acceptance by GSA that DOT economic authority is required to enter into contracts 

with Federal agencies under the GSA Schedule. 

Therefore, given the above and the extensive record already presented, CSI 

respectfully requests that DOT grant CSI’s Emergency Exemption without further delay. 

Respectfully submitted, 

 /S/ 

David M. Hernandez, Esq. 

 

Vedder Price P.C. 

875 15th Street NW, Suite 725 

Washington, D.C. 20005 

202.312.3340/(f) 202.312.3322 

 dhernandez@vedderprice.com 

 Attorney for CSI Aviation Services, Inc. 

Dated: March 5, 2010

 

7 Some of the opposing parties have incorrectly argued that GSA has conceded that economic authority is 

required from DOT to operate under the GSA Schedule. 
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE

 I hereby certify that on this 5th day of March, 2010, a copy of the foregoing Response to 

GSA’s Submission was served by e-mail on the parties named below: 

Virginia Grebasch, Esq. 

General Services Administration 

1800 F St. NW 

Washington, DC 20405 

virginia.grebasch@gsa.gov 

James W. Tello 

(for Miami Air International) 

1025 Connecticut Ave. NW, Suite 1000 

Washington, DC 20036 

jamestello@earthlink.net 

Thomas J. Spulak, Esq. 

King & Spalding LLP 

1700 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Ste 200 

Washington, DC 20006 

tspulak@kslaw.com 

Carl M. Smith 

(for Omni Air International) 

McGovern & Smith, LLC 

1129 20th Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20036 

carl.smith@mcgovernandsmith.com 

Ron Priddy 

National Air Carrier Association 

1000 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 1700 

Arlington, Virginia 22209 

rpriddy@naca.cc 

Robert Binns 

Global Aviation Holdings 

101 World Drive 

Peachtree City, GA 30269 

rbinns@glah.com 

John Tasler 

Air Charter Team 

10015 NW Ambassador #202 

Kansas City, MO 64153-1437 

jtasler@aircharterteam.com 

David McCown 

Air Partner, Inc. 

1100 Lee Wagner Blvd, Suite 328 

Ft Lauderdale, FL 33315 

david.mccown@airpartner.com 

S. Bickford 

Air Planning 

12 Heritage Way 

North Reading, MA 01864-2800 

sbickford@airplanning.com 

Nick Franzen 

Capital Aviation 

44081 Pipeline Plaza Ste 220 

Ashburn, VA 

Nick.franzen@capitalaviation.us 

Jim Caro 

Private Jet Services Group 

5 Batchelder Rd 

Seabrook, NH 03874-4402 

Jim.caro@pjsgroup.com 

Aaron A. Goerlich & Victor H. Smith 

(Sundowner Oklahoma City, LLC) 

Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC 

1200 New Hampshire Avenue, NW 

Washington, DC 20036-6802 

agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com 

vsmith@ggh-airlaw.com 
Greg Cirillo 

(for Capital Aviation) 

Wiley Rein LLP 

7925 Jones Branch Drive 

McLean, VA 22102 

gcirillo@wileyrein.com 

Chip Credno 

Zephyr Aviation, LLC 

390 Industrial Drive Unit 3 

Louisa, VA 23093-4216 

Chip.credno@zephyraviation.net 

John S. Fredericksen 

VP – General Counsel 

(for Sun Country Airlines) 

MN airlines, LLC 

1300 Mendota Heights Road 

Mendota Heights, MN 55120 

john.fredericksen@suncountry.com 

Peggie Ramsey 

Bimini Island Air 

Fort Lauderdale Exec. Airport 

3000 NW 59th Street 

Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309 

pramsey@crestonaviation.com 

Pierre Murphy (for USA 3000 Airlines) 

Law Offices of Pierre Murphy 

1200 New Hampshire Ave, NW 

Suite 800 

Washington, DC 20036 

pmurphy@lopmurphy.com 

Thuy H. Cooper 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

thuy.cooper@dot.gov 

Nelson Ramiz, Jr. 

UFLY 

2601 NW 105th Avenue 

Miami, FL 33172 

nramiz@mac.com 

Mark W. Atwood 

(for Xtra Airways) 

Sher & Blackwell 

1850 M Street, NW 

Washington, DC 20036 

matwood@sherblackwell.com 

Clereece Y. Kroha 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Office of Aviation Enforcement and 

Proceedings (C-70) 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

clereece.kroha@dot.gov 

Sam Podberesky 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Office of Aviation Enforcement and 

Proceedings (C-70) 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, DC 20590 

sam.podberesky@dot.gov 

Peter S. Vincent 

Principal Legal Advisor 

DHS/ICE 

500 12th Street, SW 

Washington, DC 20024 

peter.vincent@dhs.gov 

Allan Horowitz 

Manager, Special Programs 

FAA - Office of the Chief Counsel 

800 Independence Avenue, SW 

Washington, DC 20591 

allan.horowitz@faa.gov 
Submitted by: 

 /S/ 

Cristina Richards 

Law Clerk 

Vedder Price P.C. 

Dated: March 5, 2010