A gas turbine engine includes a combustor. A turbine section is in fluid communication with the combustor. The turbine section includes a first vane stage aft of the combustor. A plurality of vane cooling passages extending through a forward flange of the first vane stage to the radial inner surface for communicating cooling airflow into the core flow path forward of the leading edge. A seal assembly is disposed between the combustor and the forward flange of the vane stage. The seal includes a plurality of circumferentially spaced apart slots and a plurality of seal cooling passages that extend from the radially outer surface to the radially inner surface at each of the plurality of circumferentially spaced apart slots.