THE SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION 

The Honorable Ron Wyden 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

Dear Senator Wyden: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20590 

April19, 2012 

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Thank you for your letter supporting the application of Alaska Airlines, Inc., for two 

oeyond~perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). 

Alaska~ s application proposes to serve Portland International Airport with one round trip per day 

from DCA. 

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 Alaska's application, which also proposes one daily round trip to San Diego.~ on 

March. 12. Other timely applications were received from Air Canad~ 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 tdpto San Juan, Puerto Rico, and one round 

trip to Austin, Texas; Southwest Airlines, one roundtrip to Austin and San Diego beyond; Sun 

Country Airlines, one round trip to Las Vegas; and Virgin America, Inc., two ro1;1nd trips to 

San Francisco. ' 

As the matter is still pending, l cannot comment on the merits of the points raised in yom letter. 

However1 I can assure you that all appli~;:ations the Department received will be.given full and 

fair consideration and will be evaluated against the selection criteria specified· in the statute. 

The Departmenfs action ori this matter is being administered through a public docket, which 

allows all interested parties the coh1ttlent. FolloWing out normal practice~ I am 

placing a.eopy ofyour.letter and in.do.cketnumher DOT,.201 

I appreciate your interest in 
RONWYDEN 

OREGON 

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The Honorable Ray LaHood 

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

WASHINGTON, DC 20510-3703 

March 20,2012 

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COMMITIF.E ON FINANCE 

I write today in support ofthe application submitted by Alaska Airlines, Inc. for two ofthe eight 

"beyond- perimeter slot" exemptions at Ronald Regan National Airport (DCA). The approval of Alaska 

Airlines' application would provide a daily nonstop roundtrip flight between DCA and Portland 

International Airport (PDX). As you know, the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of2012 provides 

for additional flights between DCA and destinations like PDX that are more than 1,250 miles away. 

The addition of two Alaska Airlines slots for a roundtrip flight between DCA and PDX could have 

significant economic implications for Oregon and the greater Northwest region, which continues to 

struggle with higher than average unemployment. Oregon is one of the most underserved states for air 

service to and from Washington, D.C. Giving the Pacific Northwest another connection to the East 

Coast could greatly boost economic development in our region. Increasingly, the technology industry is 

becoming a vital part of Oregon's economy, and D.C. is the center oftech policy. Increased direct 

access to Washington, D.C. can only be a boost to Oregon's economic prospects. 

Furthermore, Washington, D.C. is one of Portland's top 10 destinations; howeve,r there are not enough 

nonstop travel options between Portland and Washington, D.C. to meet the demand. There is only one 

daily flight--between PDX and Dulles International Airpo11 on United Airlines. An estimated 267,000 

passengers travel between Portland the Washington, D.C. metro area each year. Despite this high 

volume of traffic, the existing nonstop service can only accommodate 13 percent of these travelers. 

Opening an additional slot for a new nonstop flight would offer more time efficient travel options, as 

well as competition in the marketplace for consumers and businesses. 

For these reasons, I support Alaska Airlines' application to provide this critical service for Oregon 

businesses and residents. Please give their application full and fair consideration. 

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Sincerely, 

Ron 

~~ Wyden 

United States Senator 

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