The Honorable Laura Richardson 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Dear Congresswoman Richardson: 

Aprill6, 2012 1\'\7 

c; ·~ 

Thank you for your Iette1· supporting the application ofVirgin America, Inc., for four beyondperimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). If awarded 

those exemptions~ Virgin Ameriqa would provide two daily round~ trip flights from DCA to 

San Francisco. 

Under authority granted in the FAA Modernization ~d Reform Act of 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 fnur daily round trips. 

We received Virgin America's application on March 12,2012. Other timely $pplications were 

received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Coh;unbia; Alaska 

Airlines, one round trip to Portland, Oregon, and one round trip to San Diego; Frontier Airlinest 

one round trip to Colorado Springs and beyond to San Diego; JetBlue Airlines, 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; and Sun Coll1ltry Airlines, one round trip to LaS Vegas. 

As the m.atter is still pending, I cannot comment on the merits ohhe points raised in. your letter. 

However, I can assure you that all applications the Department received will be given full and 

fait considenttion and will be evaluated against the selection criteria speoifie.d in the statute. 

The Departmentts a~tion on this matteds b¢ing administered through a public docket, which 

allows all interested parties the opportu · comment. Following our normal practice, l arn 

placing a copy of your letter and this se in docket number DOT~20l -0029. 

!appreciate your interest in tb · 
• 

The Honorable Ray H. LaHood 

Secretary 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, S.E. 

Washington, D.C. 20590 

March 30, 2012 

Re: Docket No. OST-2012-0029. Application of Virgin America Inc. for 

"Beyond-Perimeter" Slots 

Dear Secretary LaHood: 

I am writing to express my strong support for Virgin America's proposal to provide two 

nonstop flights between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Reagan National 

Airport (DCA). With no current service at DCA and as the only airline headquartered in 

California, Virgin America is uniquely suited to bring meaningful low-fare competition to the 

largest market in the nation previously without nonstop flight service to DCA: the San 

Francisco Bay Area. 

As a result of the work by you, your department and Congress, the President recently 

signed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which included a provision 

authorizing you to award new flights between DCA and domestic airports located beyond the 

current 1,250 mile perimeter limit. Historically, the Bay Area has been shut out from DCA 

nonstop service, with all "beyond-perimeter" flight awards being made to non-California 

airports - with the exception of a daily flight at Los Angeles. Previous DCA awards have been 

made to smaller markets, including: Denver (four roundtrip frequencies) and Phoenix (three 

roundtrip frequencies). In terms of passenger traffic, San Francisco dwarfs these and all 

other beyond-perimeter markets. Because SFO has been the largest beyond-perimeter 

market without nonstop flights to DCA, local consumers have suffered with higher fares and 

limited options - either travel to Washington Dulles or a one-stop connecting flight when 

traveling to downtown Washington, D.C. 

When making this critical decision, I urge you to consider the positive impact of 

improving the connection between Washington D.C. and Silicon Valley's powerful 

innovation-based economy. Allocation of two round-trip flights to Virgin America - our 

hometown carrier - will provide assurance that the Bay Area will finally have efficient, 

modern and low-fare nonstop flight service to DCA. It will also guarantee that local 

consumers and businesses reap the benefit that only real competition can provide. 

s 10-120402-005 
.. Since its launch in 2007, Virgin America has lowered fares and provided a unique new 

service option. According to the airline, when it enters long-haul markets with less 

competition from SFO it typically sees fares drop by one-third. The Wall Street Journal went 

so far as to describe the low-fare airline's impact on fares as "the Virgin effect."1 In addition, 

the carrier's decision to headquarter in my district (in Burlingame, California) has created 

thousands of local jobs. The airline has grown to over 2,500 employees, with plans to add 

500 new jobs on an annual basis over the next three to five years. 

When more airlines compete, consumers and local economies win - with lower fares, 

improved service and local job growth. Virgin America has been a case study for the positive 

impacts of competition in the Bay Area. The award of two roundtrip flights to the carrier will 

both spur continued local economic growth and ensure that SFO-DCA travelers will finally 

benefit from real competition. Thank you for your consideration. 

Sincerely, 

Laura 

~~ Richardson 

Member of Congress 

S 'I 0-120402-005 ower Cross-Country Fares," Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2007.