U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary ofTransportation The Honorable Daniel Webster U.S. House ofRepresentatives Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Webster: Assistant Secretary
April 19, 2012 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE**W~hington,** DC 20590

,,

Thank you for your letter supporting the application ofJetBlue Airways for beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). JetBlue's application proposes to serve Luis Munoz Marin Airport, Puerto Rico, with one round trip per day from DCA. Under authority granted in the 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 JetBlue's application, which also proposes one daily round trip to Austin, Texas, on March 12. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; Alaska Airlines, one round trip to Portland, Oregon, and one round trip to San Diego; Frontier Airlines, one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; 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 on the 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 in the statute. The Department's action on this 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 in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs>- 

### ·•**-M~r.** 

### 26. 2012 5:00PM DANIEL WEI3SiER

11'111 0t&YA1Cl', FLORIDA COMMITTEE ON RULES

. TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE (ON LEAVE)


### Marob26, 2012 The 

### Honorable Susan Kurland 

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### Assistant Secretary for A 

### viatiori. and International Affairs U.S. 

### Department ofTransportation 1200New

### Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 

### RE: JetBlue Airways DCA-SJU Application, 

### Docket DQT

..QST·2012-0029 

### Dear Ms. Kurland: 

### No. 0740 P. 2 WASHINC)TOH OFfiCi: 1039 LONOWOI\'111 HOU&E 0FRGt**BUI~IIINC** W111HING1'0N1 DC 20516 (202) 226-2176 1202) 221H1989 (FAX)
WINTER**GAllDfl~** OFfiC£: 300 WEirrPLANT STREET WINTER GARDilf, A. 34787 (407) 61$4-6?06 (40'1 654-591il(FAic)



### I am writing 

### to express my suppod for the 

### application. ofJetBlue Airways 

### to impJementnew service between Washington, 

### D.C. and San Jt)eu, Puetto 

### Rico. Tirls applicationis 

### made possible through the 

### recent exemptions granted to Ronald Reagan Washington 

### National Airport in the FAA 

### Modernization 

### and Reform 

### A-ct of2012. 

### The order from the 

### DepalimentofT1·ansportationprovides for eight 

### additional slot exemptions for new entrant ahd limited 

### incumbentcarrim'S. JetBlue meets these c1·iteria. 

### JetBlue has built a

### busfneSS model 

### designedtO 

### provfde maximum S61'Vice 

### for avalue 

### price. When deciding tO 

### e11ter anew market, 

### JetBlue determines that 

### the matket is either 

### l) over-p1iced; 

### 2) underMserved; 

### or 3) 

### bas 'both ofthese 

### characteristics. The 

### mal'ket between 

### Reagan National 

### Ail-port (DCA) and San 

### Juan) Puel'to Rico's 

### Luiz Munoz 

### Marin International Airport 

### (SJU) meets these standards. · Currently, there are 

### no direct 

### flights between DCAand 

### SJU. The cun·ent flights between 

### DCA and SJU 

### have layovers thatpush m6$tflights to 

### more 

### than six 

### hours and some 

### are much longer. This 

### new service 

### would offer competition 

### and additional options for those 

### travelers inbothPuerto 

### Rico and 

### the Washington, 

### D.C. metro atea. 

### In addition 

### to improved competition and 

### air service. 

### Puerto Rico would 

### benefit economically. Puerto 

### Rico is home to nearly four 

### million U.S. citizens.who are experiencing an unemploymentrf\te 

### higherthan 

### 15% and a 

### trart'sportation· sector 

### thai'has lost almost 7% ofits workforce since 

### January 2011. Any 

### economic investment in**Pue'rtclRic~** 

### wotU.dbring mu<?h 

### needed emplqymentrelief

### at atime that it

### is most needed. 

### l 

### ask thatyou wi!l give serlot's 

### consideration to JetBlue's proposal for a new 

### route between DCA and SJU.

# ~ Daniel Webster Member ofCongress

EMAIL VIAWEIISITE: woiiBtOr hOueo OilY X1**~ 120405~002**  PAINTED ON AECYCU:D PAPER**~ M~r.**  

## 26. 2012 5:00PM No. 0740 P. 1 

# FAX

Congressman Daniel Webster 

## Serving Florida's 8rh 

## CongressionalDistrict

; 

## Pages (including**cover):~2.=---------------**

)( '1-120405-002 

### Washington, 

## D.c 1039 Longworth HOB 

### Washington) D.C, 20515



### Phone: (202)**225~2176**



### Fax: (202) 22Sy0999 Wmter Garden,FL 

### 300 WestPlant Street



### Winter Garden, FL Phone: (407)**654~5705**



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