WASHINGTON — The Transportation Department has preliminarily granted allocations for five additional daily long-haul flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, favoring five major airlines while dismissing requests from several budget carriers.
The newly announced routes will enhance travel options for passengers journeying between Washington and significant destinations in the West, such as San Francisco and Seattle.
The Transportation Department has opened a comment period regarding this decision until October 30, followed by a phase for responding to those comments until November 8.
Reagan National Airport is favored by many travelers due to its close proximity to downtown Washington, accessible via a quick Metro subway ride, compared to Dulles International Airport, which is situated over 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the west of the capital.
Federal law imposes strict limitations on flights longer than 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) into Reagan National, but in response to pressure from Delta Air Lines and others, Congress this year authorized enough new takeoff and landing slots to facilitate five new daily round trips.
The airlines selected for the new routes are:
— Alaska Airlines, which will provide service to and from San Diego International Airport.
— American Airlines, offering flights to and from San Antonio International Airport in Texas.
— Delta Air Lines, connecting to Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
— Southwest Airlines, flying to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.
— United Airlines, with routes to and from San Francisco International Airport.
The Transportation Department declined a request from JetBlue Airways for an additional flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, ruling that Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines were ineligible due to the Congressional restriction specifying that only carriers currently operating at Reagan National could compete.
These new flights will augment the limited existing long-haul options available from this conveniently located airport, currently servicing cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and Denver.