OST-2005-21075 - Delta Air Lines - Salt Lake City-Puerto Vallarta

Updated: Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:38 AM

OST-2005-21075 - Delta Air Lines - Salt Lake City-Puerto Vallarta

http://www.delta.com/

Delta Air Lines, Inc.

OST-2005-21075 - Exemption - Salt Lake City-Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

April 22, 2005

Application For an Exemption

Hereby requests an exemption to provide nonstop service between Salt Lake City International Airport and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico beginning on or about November 1, 2005. Delta's proposed service would provide Salt Lake City with its first nonstop service to Puerto Vallarta, as well as new online connections between Puerto Vallarta and the numerous cities served by Delta and the Delta Connection carriers from Salt Lake City. Delta's proposed new flight will operate on a daily, year-round basis, using Boeing 737-800 aircraft with 16 premium and 134 coach seats.

Delta notes that Frontier has also proposed Salt Lake City-Puerto Vallarta service (OST-2005-21033), commencing on November 18, 2005. Because there are two designations available for service on the route (and assuming no additional applicants) the Department may designate both Delta and Frontier without the need for additional carrier selection proceedings. This will provide Salt Lake City-Puerto Vallarta passengers the important benefit of competitive nonstop service by two U.S. flag carriers.

Counsel: Hogan & Hartson, Alexander Van der Bellen, 202-637-4999, sascha.vanderbellen@hhlaw.com

May 18, 2005

Answer of Frontier Airlines

On April 18, 2005, Frontier Airlines filed an application with the Department of Transportation seeking an exemption and a U.S.-Mexico designation to provide scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property and mail between Salt Lake City and Puerto Vallarta. (Docket No. OST-2005-21033). Since there are two available designations and two interested applicants, Frontier does not object to Delta's application, provided that Frontier's application is approved as soon as possible.

Frontier does note, however, that Delta, a carrier that has lost billions of dollars in the last two years, expressed interest in this market only after another carrier that is attempting to provide residents of Salt Lake City with fares and service sought by the community, applied for the same authority.

Counsel: Frontier and Wiley Rrein, Edward Faberman, 202-719-7402, efaberman@wrf.com

Filed April 22, 2005 | Issued June 6, 2005

Notice of Action Taken | Word

Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Salt Lake City, Utah, and the terminal point Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and to combine this authority with all of Delta’s existing certificate and exemption authority, consistent with applicable international agreements. Delta proposes to operate this service on a year-round basis, beginning on or about November 1, 2005.

By: Paul Gretch

OST-2000-6816 - Exemption - Mexico City-Chicago
OST-2000-7390 - Exemption - Atlanta-San Jose del Cabo
OST-2000-8270 - Exemption - Guadalajara-Ontario
OST-2001-10457 - Exemption - Cincinnati-Cancun
OST-2003-15698 - Exemption - Las Vegas-Guadalajara
OST-2004-16975 - Exemption - Boston-Mexico City
OST-2005-21075 - Exemption - Salt Lake City-Puerto Vallarta
OST-2005-21353 - Exemption and Statement of Authorization - San Diego-Mexico City
OST-2005-21724 - Exemption - Salt Lake City-Mazatlan
OST-2005-22025 - Exemption - Atlanta-Puerto Vallarta
OST-2005-22243 - Exemption - New York/Newark-Cozumel
OST-2005-22415 - Exemption - Los Angeles-Cancun
OST-2005-22620 - Exemption - Atlanta-Acapulco; Boston-Cancun; Los Angeles-Puerto Vallarta/San Jose del Cabo/Zihuatanejo; Washington, DC-Cancun

April 5, 2007

Application for Renewal of Exemptions

Delta Air Lines, Inc. hereby applies under 49 U.S.C. § 40109 for renewal of exemptions authorizing Delta to continue to provide scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail on the U.S.-Mexico routes identified in Exhibit A. This renewal application encompasses multiple docketed exemptions that Delta relies upon to provide nonstop U.S. Mexico services with its own aircraft or pursuant to codeshare arrangements with Aerovias de Mexico, S.A. de C.V. or Delta Connection carriers. Delta requests that these exemptions be renewed for a period of at least two years, with a common expiration date, or until 90 days after the Department's final determination on Delta's application for amended certificate authority as it pertains to each of the routes identified herein, filed on November 30, 2004, and supplemented on October 17, 2005, in Docket OST-1999-6275, whichever occurs earlier. The establishment of a common renewal date will promote administrative efficiency and reduce the burden on Delta and the Department in maintaining these multiple non-controversial U.S.-Mexico exemption authorities.

Delta does not seek renewal of route integration authority included with these exemptions because such authority is now covered by its blanket route integration certificate issued by Order 2006-1-1.

In certain instances, Delta holds two exemptions for a single U.S.-Mexico route: one for codesharing service and one for service with its own aircraft. Although it is Delta's understanding that a single "own aircraft" exemption would be sufficient to cover both types of service (just as a city-pair designation authorizes both own-aircraft service and codeshare service), Delta is seeking to renew potentially redundant exemption authority out of an abundance of caution.

Counsel: Hogan & Hartson, Robert Cohn, 202-637-4999, recohn@hhlaw.com

Filed April 5, 2007 | Issued July 10, 2007

Notice of Action Taken

OST-2000-6816: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Chicago, Illinois, and the terminal point Mexico City, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aerovias de Mexico, S.A., de C.V.), whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by Aeromexico in the market.

OST-2000-7390: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Atlanta, Georgia, and the terminal point San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aeromexico, whereby Aeromexico places its code on flights operated by Delta in the market.

OST-2000-8270: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Ontario, California, and the terminal point Guadalajara, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aeromexico, whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by Aeromexico in the market.

OST-2001-10457: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Cincinnati, Ohio, and the terminal point Cancun, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route (or seasonal service, as dictated by market circumstances), pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aerornexico, whereby Aeromexico places its code on flights operated by Delta in the market.

OST-2003-15698: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Las Vegas, Nevada, and the terminal point Guadalajara, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aeromexico, whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by Aeromexico in the market.

OST-2004-16975: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Boston, Massachusetts, and the terminal point Mexico City, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aeromexico, whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by Aeromexico in the market.

OST-2005-21075: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Salt Lake City, Utah, and the terminal point Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route with its own aircraft.

OST-2005-21353: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point San Diego, California, and the terminal point Mexico City, Mexico. Delta has orally advised that it provides year-round service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Aeromexico, whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by Aeromexico in the market.

OST-2005-21724: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Salt Lake City, Utah, and the terminal point Mazatlan, Mexico. Delta provides year-round Delta Connection service on this route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Skywest Airlines, Inc., whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by Skywest in the market.

OST-2005-22025: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Atlanta, Georgia, and the terminal point Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on this route with its own aircraft.

OST-2005-22243: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between (1) the terminal point Atlanta, Georgia, and the terminal point Merida, Mexico; (2) the terminal point Cincinnati, Ohio, and the terminal point San Jose del Cabo, Mexico; (3) the terminal point New York, New York/Newark, New Jersey, and the terminal point Puerto Vallarta, Mexico; and (4) the terminal point New York, New York/Newark, New Jersey, and the terminal point San Jose del Cabo, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on the
Cincinnati-San Jose del Cabo, New York/Newark-Puerto Vallarta, and New YorWNewark-San Jose del Cabo routes with its own aircraft. Delta provides seasonal Delta Connection service on the Atlanta-Merida route pursuant to a code-share arrangement with Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Inc., whereby Delta places its code on flights operated by ASA in the market.

OST-2005-22415: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between the terminal point Los Angeles, California, and the terminal point Cancun, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on the route with its own aircraft.

OST-2005-22620: Scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail between (1) the terminal point Atlanta, Georgia, and the terminal point Acapulco, Mexico; (2) the terminal point Boston, Massachusetts, and the terminal point Cancun, Mexico; and (3) the terminal point Washington, D.C., and the terminal point Cancun, Mexico. Delta provides year-round service on each of these routes with its own aircraft.

By: Paul Gretch

August 6, 2007

Notice of Seasonal Service

Delta Air Lines, Inc. holds exemption authority in the above-referenced Docket and a designation to provide scheduled foreign air transportation between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and currently operates that service. Delta hereby notifies the Department that the service operated by Delta on this route will be on a seasonal, rather than a year-round, basis.

Counsel: Hogan & Hartson, Patrick Rizzi, 202-637-5659, prizzi@hhlaw.com

Filed August 6, 2007 | Approved September 19, 2007

Approval of Notice of Seasonal Service

Delta Air Lines, Inc. holds exemption authority in the above-referenced Docket and a designation to provide scheduled foreign air transportation between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Puerta Vallarta, Mexico, and currently operates that service. Delta hereby notifies the Department that the service operated by Delta on this route will be on a seasonal, rather than a year-round, basis.

No answers were filed.

By: Linda Lundell