Five long-haul domestic flights arrive at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
After months of public and behind-the-scenes discussions between airlines and lawmakers, the US Department of Transportation has announced a temporary authorization for airlines – and cities – to grant these much-coveted flight rights.
A DOT spokesperson on Wednesday confirmed to TPG that new runways have been agreed to be launched soon.
That includes:
- American Airlines, with nonstop service from DCA to San Antonio International Airport (SAT).
- Alaska Airlines, with nonstop service from DCA to San Diego International Airport (SAN).
- Delta Air Lines, with nonstop service from DCA to Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
- Southwest Airlines, with nonstop service from DCA to Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).
- United Airlines, with a second daily nonstop flight from DCA to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
Strictly restricted area
Airlines were desperate for these new routes. Reagan is the closest airport and very convenient to downtown Washington, Metro or a short car ride from downtown and major landmarks.
However, for decades the US Department of Transportation has carefully monitored DCA’s limited space.
DOT regulations technically prohibit flights on flight paths from Reagan to destinations greater than 1,250 statute miles.
However, over the years, Congress has authorized a number of exceptions to these rules in the form of so-called “beyond the perimeter exemptions.”
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Each release allows an airline to fly a specific DOT-approved route in the form of a “slot pair” assigned by the agency. One “slot pair” includes one departure and one arrival – in other words, one round trip over a 1,250-mile circuit.
Over the years, exemptions from DCA’s perimeter rules have allowed several airlines to establish transcontinental routes from Reagan to the West Coast by way of cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Denver – among others.
In May, Congress ordered the DOT to issue five additional slot pairs, in a controversial decision that came “over strong opposition” from the airport’s governing board.
Along with regional lawmakers, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority criticized Congressional decisions to add flights to the already overcrowded Reagan airport — and pointed to the airport’s relative size compared to Dulles International Airport (IAD) and Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport. (BWI) as best suited for growth.
The total number of seats on domestic flights out of Reagan is expected to increase by about 19% in 2024 compared to 2014, a decade ago, according to data from aviation analytics company Cirium.
Domestic seats out of Dulles were scheduled to rise a little more than 10%.
Read more: What are airspaces, and how do they affect your flights?
Another round of Slots
Still, the move sent airlines scrambling for new routes from Reagan to cities outside the loop.
The DOT released very clear criteria in late June governing which airlines and routes may be eligible, with promises to support decisions to promote competition and serve the public with better connections on underserved routes.
These rules, no doubt, influenced which carriers even bothered to use them.
Which planes were lost?
Seven airlines applied for these five routes, and two were eventually left out.
Companies left out include Spirit Airlines, which applied for a nonstop DCA at Norman Mineta International Airport (SJC) in San Jose, California, and JetBlue, which proposed a second daily stop in San Juan. Puerto Rico.
Airlines getting new long-haul DCA flights
Here is a closer look at the routes that he did obtain DOT approval:
| An airline company | The route | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | DCA-SAT | It expands the carrier’s hub operations at DCA.
American already operates four “long-haul” DCA routes to Austin, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Phoenix. |
| Alaska Airlines | DCA-SAN | It connects Seattle-based to its largest hub on the West Coast outside DCA non-stop, as well as LAX, San Francisco, Portland and Seattle. |
| Delta Air Lines | DCA-SEA | It adds competition to the DCA-SEA route currently served only by Alaska.
It gives Delta a second DCA route over the loop, on top of existing Salt Lake City service. |
| The Southwest | DCA-LAS | It gives the carrier a second location beyond the perimeter, along with Austin.
It also adds competition to the DCA-LAS route currently served only by American. |
| They are together | DCA-SFO | The new route marks United DCA’s second daily nonstop to SFO, which we will now operate from all three of the DC region’s major airports.
United also flies a more than round-trip route from Reagan to Denver. United plans to fly the route with Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft. |
Although the DOT’s announcement Wednesday is tentative, airlines and cities awarded the routes have already begun celebrating the news.
“Today marks a milestone for San Antonio as we move closer to achieving a nonstop flight between SAT and DCA,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement. “This connection between San Antonio and our nation’s capital is long overdue.”
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