U.S. Department ofTransportation Office ofthe Secretary ofTransportation The Honorable Stephen E. Ogden Texas State Senate P.O. Box 12068 Austin, Texas 78711-2068 Dear Mr. Ogden: Assistant Secretary April 20, 2012 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590**~you-for-your**letterto Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the award of beyond-perimeter slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to be · used for nonstop service to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas. Secretary LaHood asked me to respond to your letter. Underauthority granted in the FAA Modernization and Refonn Act of2012, the U.S. Department ofTransportation will be awarding to new entrant orlimited incumbent carriers atotal ofeight slotexemptions at DCA, which would support four daily round trips. We received applications proposing to serve AUS from two carriers, Southwest Airlines and JetBlue Airways. Each soughttwo slot exemptions, which would support one daily DCA-AUS round trip; JetBlue also applied for two slot exemptions to serve San Juan, Puerto Rico. Other timely applications were received from Air Canada, proposing one round trip to Vancouver, British Columbia; AlaskaAirlines, 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; 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, Icannot comment on the merits ofthe points raised in your letter. However, Ican 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. · Iappreciate your interest in this matter. Sincerely yours,

Susan L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairsf•li:IR 22 2012 11:44 FR**~3EH** IJGDEH 51241535713 TIJ 9202.3E·672iZI2

P.O. BOX 12068 Austin, Texas 7871H!068 steve.ogden@senate.statG.tx.us

The Honorable Ray LaHood Secretary ofTransportation 1200New JerseyAvenuet S.E. Washington, D.C. 20590 Dear Mr. Secretary: 

## TI-IE SENATE of 

## THE STATE 

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## StephenE. Ogden DistrictS March 22, 2012 Tel; (512) 463·0105 Fax; (512) 463-5713 Dial 71i For Relay Calls 1·888·694·2609

This letteris submitted in support ofnonstop servicebetween the Nation,s capital from Ronald ReaganWashington National Airport (DCA) to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).Austin is the 14th largest -andthe third fastest-growing- city in the United States with an MSA population of1.8 million. This is a 37 percentincrease since 2000, and the population isprojected to reach 2million in three years. There is certainly a strongdemand bythe travelling public for adirect flight fhlm AUS to DCA. Furthermore, because ofAustin's role as the statecapital ofTexas, thereis a need for convenient travel to Washington, D.C. for matters related to both state and federal government. Thank you for your consideration ofAustin during thisprocess. Sincerely,

# ~~ SEO/vrb

cc: Mr. Rich Bailey, City ofAustin

OommittEJes: Finance. Chairman; Education; Administration; G;ovarnment Organization