UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Applications of Alaska Airlines, Inc., America West Airlines, Inc., 

Frontier Airlines, Inc., United Air Lines, Inc. 

AirTran Airways Inc., Comair, Inc., Midwest Airlines, Inc.,

Spirit Airlines, Inc., and US Airways, Inc., 

For Exemptions from 14 CFR Part 93, Subparts K and S, 

Pursuant to 49 U.S.C. § 41718(a) and § 41718(b)

Docket OST-2000-7181 

Docket OST-2000-7182 

NOTICE  

On April 1, 2004, the Department issued Orders 2004-4-1 and 2004-4-2,
which granted a total of 22 slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington
National Airport (DCA) to the above listed air carriers as mandated by
the Vision 100--Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, P.L. 108-176
(Vision 100) and the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act
for the 21st Century (AIR-21).  The Department also directed that no
later than seven business days from the service date of the two orders,
or not later than April 12, 2004, these air carriers should file
proposed flight schedules and the effective date for operations
authorized by the orders in the appropriate docket.  The Department also
noted that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) would assign slot
exemption numbers, effective dates, and operating times consistent with
statutory limitations, but that the Department would make the final
determination of slot time assignments.  The affected air carriers have
now filed their proposed flight schedules, and in several instances we
have noted scheduling conflicts where several carriers have requested
slot exemptions for the same one-hour period.  As the Department stated
in its Notice dated December 22, 2003, since 49 U.S.C. § 41718(c)(2),
as amended by 

Vision 100, does not allow us to assign more than a total of three slot
exemption per one-hour period, and two exemptions have been awarded
already for most one-hour periods, we are unable to accommodate all of
the carrier slot exemption time requests.  

By this notice we are assigning slot times awarded by Orders 2004-4-1 

and 2004-4-2, as summarized in the attachment.  In making these
determinations, we were required to balance the number of limited
operations with the carriers’ operational needs, while fully complying
with the statutory requirements of Vision 100.  The attachment to this
notice indicates only the hourly period during which the slot exemption
must be operated, not the exact times.  Additional consultation on exact
times, frequency, and effective dates will be required between the air
carriers and the FAA’s Slot Administration Office prior to initiating
service.  

We acknowledge that carriers may wish to propose additional changes that
may be necessary to for them to optimize and rationalize the slot
exemption times shown in the attachment.  Carriers may request the FAA
Slot Administration Office to approve exchanges of the assigned slot
exemption times with other slots or slot exemptions for the purpose of
conducting operations authorized by Orders 2004-4-1 and 2004-4-2 in a
different hour.  In acting on such requests, the FAA will employ
standard practices in conjunction with applicable statutory and
regulatory requirements for the utilization of slot times between and
among individual air carriers.  

Finally, as stated in Orders 2004-4-1 and 2004-4-2, air carriers must
inaugurate the services granted within 90 days of the issuance of this
notice assigning the slot times.  Regardless of subsequent slot time
exchanges, the slot times assigned by this notice or assigned by the
FAA’s Slot Administration Office pursuant to this notice will be
tagged.  Furthermore, if any of the service granted by Orders 2004-4-1
and 2004-4-2 is suspended, or is not inaugurated in a timely manner, the
Department will withdraw the slot exemptions based on their tagged slot
time, rather than by any subsequent slot time operated.   

We shall serve a copy of this notice on Alaska Airlines, America West
Airlines, Inc., Frontier Airlines, Inc., United Air Lines, Inc., AirTran
Airways, Inc., Comair, Inc., Midwest Airlines, Inc., Spirit Airlines,
Inc., US Airways, Inc, the Federal Aviation Administration’s Slot
Administration office, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports
Authority.  

By:

KARAN K. BHATIA 

Assistant Secretary for Aviation

and International Affairs

Dated:  May 3, 2004

(SEAL)

An electronic version of this document will be available on the World
Wide Web at:

http://dms.dot.gov/



	DCA SLOT TIMES ASSIGNED PURSUANT TO DEPARTMENT ORDERS 2004-4-1 AND
2004-4-2























	0700	0800	0900	1000	1100	1200	1300	1400	1500	1600	1700	1800	1900	2000
2100

	Times Avail/Hour:

2	1	1	2	3	2	3	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	1	23

Outside-Perimeter





































Alaska

	0800







1600	1700

	2000





















	America West

0700











1900























Frontier Airlines



0900



1300	1400





	2100





















United





1100







	2000



Inside-Perimeter





































AirTran









1500

	1800























	Comair



	1000

1200





























	Midwest 







1300 (2)





























Spirit Airlines         



	1000	1100































US Airways

0700



	1200



























	ATTACHMENT



 Among other things, 49 U.S.C. § 41718(c)(2) prohibits the Department
from adding any new DCA slot exemptions between the hours of 10:00 p.m.
and 7:00 a.m.  In addition the Department may not increase the number of
DCA operations in any one-hour period by more than three additional
operations between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m.

 See, e.g., the restrictions at 49 U.S.C. 41714(j) on sale, lease, or
transfer of exemptions.  

 Orders 2004-4-1 and 2004–4-2 specified that if carriers failed to
inaugurate service within 90 days of being given their exact slot times
by the Department, the slot exemptions would be reallocated.  

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Served:  May 3, 2004

