BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. APPLICATION OF FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION

Transcription

1 BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. Application of AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. Docket OST for a statement of authorization pursuant to Part 212 APPLICATION OF AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION Communications with respect to this document should be sent to: Richard D. Mathias David M. Endersbee Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger, LLP Suite Seventeenth St., NW Washington, D.C Tel: Fax: rdmathias@zsrlaw.com dmendersbee@zsrlaw.com Counsel for Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. Dated: August 30, 2011 NOTICE: Answers to this Application are due on or before September 7, However, the Applicant intends to poll.

2 BEFORE THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION WASHINGTON, D.C. Application of AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. Docket OST for a statement of authorization pursuant to Part 212 APPLICATION OF AEROVÍAS DEL CONTINENTE AMERICANO S.A. FOR A STATEMENT OF AUTHORIZATION Aerovías Del Continente Americano S.A. ( Avianca ) hereby applies for a blanket statement of authorization pursuant to Part 212 of the Department s regulations to engage in the codesharing services described below. Avianca requests that the requested blanket statement of authorization remain in effect for an indefinite period, consistent with Department practice. In support of its application, Avianca states as follows: 1. In 2009, Avianca and the TACA Group entered into a strategic merger, forming a single company named AviancaTACA Ltd. The integration of Avianca and the TACA Group has created new travel opportunities for travelers throughout the Western Hemisphere as a result of the alignment of the carriers complementary route networks. Avianca and Trans American Airlines, S.A. d/b/a TACA Perú ( TACA Perú ) presently codeshare on flights outside of the U.S. and now seek to expand this coordination to U.S. markets. Avianca and TACA Perú share ultimate common ownership under AviancaTACA Ltd. Avianca is a wholly-owned subsidiary

3 of AviancaTACA Ltd. TACA Perú is owned by citizens of Peru and Grupo TACA Holdings, Limited, which in turn is owned by AviancaTACA Ltd. 2. Avianca and TACA Perú have recently amended their codesharing agreement to add certain Colombia U.S. markets. Beginning as soon as governmental approvals are granted, Avianca will display TACA Perú s TA* designator code 1 on its flights between the U.S. and Colombia on the routes set forth on Appendix A. TACA Perú will not carry local Colombia U.S. traffic. 3. Avianca therefore requests a blanket statement of authorization to enable it to display TACA Perú s TA* designator code on Avianca flights between a point or points in Colombia and a point or points in the United States. Avianca also requests a waiver of the Department s 45-day advance filing requirement in order to begin these services as soon as possible. 4. Avianca is in all respects fit, willing, and able to perform the codesharing services described herein, and both carriers hold the necessary underlying economic authority for these services. Avianca holds a foreign air carrier permit issued by Order , as well as various exemption authorities. 2 TACA Perú holds exemption authority authorizing it to engage, inter alia, in scheduled foreign air transportation of persons, property, and mail from points behind 1 TACA Perú holds exemption authority authorizing the use of a common designator code along with certain other Grupo TACA carriers (TACA International Airlines,S.A., Lineas Aereas Costarricenses, S.A. and AVIATECA S.A.) (Notice of Action Taken, Jan. 22, 2009, in effect pursuant to Part 377 and a timely renewal application filed on January 13, 2010, Docket OST ). TACA Perú s TA* code will be paired with a dedicated TACA Perú flight number. 2 Bogota Ft. Lauderdale, Docket OST (Notice of Action Taken November 28, 2008, in effect pursuant to Part 377 and a timely renewal application filed on November 19, 2009); Bogota Washington, D.C. Docket OST (Notice of Action Taken, March 31, 2011).

4 Peru, via Peru and intermediate points, to any point or points in the United States, and beyond. Notice of Action Taken, May 19, 2011 (Docket OST ). 5. The authority sought herein is consistent with the applicable bilateral air services agreements in force between each carrier s homeland and the U.S. The 1956 U.S. Colombia Air Service Agreement, as amended, did not provide for third-country codesharing opportunities. However, third-country codesharing opportunities are among the new opportunities made available under the 2011 U.S. Colombia Air Service Agreement (the Open Skies Agreement ) 3, which now provides for such opportunities. Specifically, Section 3 of Open Skies Agreement s Annex provides that a Colombian airline may enter into third-country codesharing arrangements with an airline or airlines of a third country located in North America, South America, Central America, and the Caribbean. The U.S. Peru Air Transport Agreement provides that a carrier or either party may enter into codesharing arrangements with airlines of a third party (Paragraph 7, Article 8). 6. Grant of the blanket statement of authorization requested herein is fully consistent with, and will serve, the public interest. These new codesharing services will expand the range of service choices available to the traveling public. 7. Avianca will accept the Department s standard codesharing conditions and will notify the Department at least 30 days in advance of any additional codesharing services. Additionally, Avianca will fully comply with Part 257 of the Department s regulations. 3 In accordance with Article 18, the Open Skies Agreement became provisionally effective upon exchange of notes on August 26, 2011.

5 8. Grant of this authority will not constitute a major regulatory action under the Energy and Conservation Act of 1975, as defined in section 313.4(a)(1) of the Department s regulations. WHEREFORE, for the foregoing reasons, Aerovías Del Continente Americano S.A. respectfully requests that the Department grant the requested statement of authorization described herein and grant such other relief as may be necessary or appropriate. Respectfully submitted, Dated: August 30, 2011 Richard D. Mathias David M. Endersbee Zuckert, Scoutt & Rasenberger, LLP Suite Seventeenth St., NW Washington, D.C Tel: Fax: rdmathias@zsrlaw.com dmendersbee@zsrlaw.com Counsel for Aerovías Del Continente Americano S.A.

6 Appendix A Initial Codeshare Points TACA Perú s TA* designator code will be displayed on flights operated by Avianca in the following markets: Fort Lauderdale Bogotá Miami Bogotá Cali Medellín New York Bogotá Medellín Washington, D.C. Bogotá

7 CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE I hereby certify that on this 30 th day of August 2011, a copy of the foregoing Application of Aerovías del Continente Americano S.A. For a Statement of Authorization was served by electronic mail on the following: R. Bruce Keiner, Jr. Lorraine B. Halloway Counsel for Continental Airlines Crowell & Moring LLP 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C rbkeiner@crowell.com Lhalloway@crowell.com Dan Weiss Continental Airlines, Inc. Government Affairs 8 th Floor 1600 Smith Street, Dept. HQSGV Houston, TX dan.weiss@coair.com Stephen J. Morrissey Managing Director, International and Regulatory Affairs United Air Lines 1025 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Suite 1210 Washington, DC Steve.morrissey@united.com John Palo Vice President, Planning Military and Government Evergreen International Airlines, Inc Three Mile Lane McMinnville, OR john.palo@evergreenairlines.com charters@evergreenairlines.com Carl B. Nelson, Jr. Associate General Counsel American Airlines, Inc Seventeenth Street, N.W. Suite 600 Washington, D.C carl.nelson@aa.com John L. Richardson Counsel for Amerijet International John L. Richardson, P.L.L.C th Street, N.W. Suite 420 West Washington, D.C jrichardson@johnlrichardson.com Russell E. Pommer Associate General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Affairs Atlas Air, Inc Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 875 rpommer@atlasair.com Kevin Montgomery Peter Beckett Polar Air Cargo, Inc Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 875 Kevin.montgomery@polaraircargo.com Peter.beckett@polaraircargo.com

8 Marshall S. Sinick Counsel for Florida West International Airways Squire, Sanders & Dempsey L.L.P Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 500 Washington, D.C Anita Mosner Jennifer Nowak Counsel for United Parcel Service Holland & Knight 2099 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 100 Alexander Van Der Bellen Jeff Morgan Sametta C. Barnett Delta Air Lines 1212 New York Avenue, NW Suite 200 Washington, D.C William C. Evans John R. Mietus, Jr. Counsel for Centurion Air Cargo Law Office of John Mietus, LLC 1201 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Suite 300 Washington, DC John M. Allen Director Flight Standards Service Federal Aviation Administration 800 Independence Avenue, S.W., Rm 821 Washington, D.C Courtney Felts Legal and Regulatory Affairs FedEx Express 3620 Hacks Cross Road Building B, 3 rd Floor Memphis, TN cefelts@fedex.com Robert P. Silverberg Jeffrey Johnson Counsel for ABX Air Silverberg, Goldman & Bikoff, L.L.P th Street, N.W., Ste. 120 Washington, D.C rsilverberg@sgbdc.com jjohnson@sgbdc.com Thomas A. Gillies Chief Operating Officer Southern Air Inc. 117 Glover Ave. Norwalk, CT tgillies@southernair.com Howard Kass Managing Director & Associate General Counsel US Airways 1401 H Street, N.W. Suite 1075 howard_kass@usairways.com 2

9 Oakley Brooks President and CEO Paul Doell National Air Carrier Association 1000 Wilson Boulevard Suite 1700 Arlington, Virginia Mark W. Atwood Counsel for Kalitta Air Cozen O Connor Army Navy Building 1627 I Street, NW Suite 1100 matwood@cozen.com Aaron Goerlich Counsel for Allegiant Air and Ryan International Airlines Garofalo Goerlich Hainbach PC 1200 New Hampshire Avenue NW Suite 800 Washington, D.C agoerlich@ggh-airlaw.com Elaine Nisson Mark Liland Northern Air Cargo, Inc Old International Airport Road Anchorage, AK enisson@nac.aero mliland@nac.aero Joanne W. Young Counsel for Spirit Airlines Kirstein & Young PLLC 1001 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Suite 600 South Washington, DC jyoung@yklaw.com Jonathan B. Hill Counsel for JetBlue Dow Lohnes 1200 New Hampshire Avenue, N.W. Suite 800 Washington, DC jhill@dowlohnes.com David M. Endersbee 3