U.S. Department of Transportation Office of the Secretary ofTransportation Assistant Secretary April 19, 2012
The Honorable Evelyn Delerme Camacho Mayor ofVieques Calle Carlos Le Brum num. 449 Vieques, PR 00765
Dear Mayor Delerme Camacho: 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE Washington, DC 20590

,,,

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·- c)r:.::; !';·:-) C::) .;;:;;. ::.rl :.::..-:**..,,,~,..** Thank you for your letter to Secretary ofTransportation Ray LaHood, supporting the @plidttlon 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. Secretary LaHood asked that I respond to your letter. 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 onthe 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,

Susan 

### L. Kurland Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs

### Evelyn.Q.f?letme

### .Qemacno

, AJaald&a ·



### Secretary U:S. 

### Department:ofTtan.sportation**1~00**

## ]lew Jersey: AvellU.e, SE Washington, D.C. 20590 RE: JETBLUE 

### AIRWAYS Gobfemo de Puetto

### Rico Munlciptod•VIeques OfiCJrt• de Ia AfC.1deS!;t

### March29th~'2012



### DCA-SJU APPLICATION, D:QCKET 1JOT•OS'r·20J2

..**00~9** 

### Dear.Mister SecretarY: I 

## am writing 

## to express 

### m.y support 

## for the application by JetBlue Airways for slpt**e~emptiohs** 

### at·**Ron~tl Re~gan**  

### Wasl)ingtQn**Nation~** 

### Airport (DCA}, to provide nonstop. round trip s¢tviceto San 

### Juan/} Puerto Rico; as ·submitted under Docket DOT-OST-'2012- 0029. JetBIQ.e's plan to offer daily round trip service will provide Puerto RiC'o with 

### the. nonstop accessto ournation's capital that 

### we have long sottght. 

### Jet:Bh.tels Puerto Rico's 

### hometown low··fare aifline.**Sin~e** 

### JetBlue1

### s first .flight in

·"DPVIL<5• 

### onthe

. 

### canolt>ean. their.·service ht;ts expaiided 

## to markets inthe regi<m, including St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. Maarten**~nd** 

### Santo**Do~ingo.** 

### JetBlue has also partnered with· Cape Airfor additional regional service connecting. atSanJuan, The level·ofdirect 

### se.rvice .from 

## S'an Juan to Wtl$hington has**dec~ased.**

### over 

### the 

## years**~while** 

### fares 

## continue.to lise:. Pre$ently,limited 

## nonstop service rronl Puerto Rico is tb:rougtl either Baltimore Washington**ln~rnational** 

### Airport

.. or Washington Dulles International**Airport~** 

### both of'Which are quite distant 

### for travelers visitihg 

### downtoWn. Washington.or its federal government oftlees; The additi.on 

### ofthls unique n()nstop. 

### A fir$t 

### of its. 

### ldnd, would 

## provide .travelers from the**;gre~ter** 

### Wa$bingtQn aret;t 

### with a key couneqtion to.the 

### Caribbean and benefit all visitors to 

### and residents·ofPuerto Rico.

S10-120405-010 'lie Carlos te Brum m1m. 449 Vieque$1 Puerto Rico Ob76STeL (787)14'1..,5000**}:ax(787}74l~OS65** 

### "\

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### \

# ~**"'~** ..__J!' -,. I' 1 urge you to· award J.etBlue the slot exemptions necessary to ptovide this nonstop round trip service between Washington, DC arid San Juan, Puj .-... 'Ibankyol;J for**yourconsi~~ration.** S10.120405.010 Calle Carlos LeBrum mint 449 Vieques, Puerto Rico 00765 Tel. (7iJ7)Ul·SOO()Fax (7'87)741.0565