American, Delta, and United Among Carriers to Score Washington Flights

The Department of Transportation released its slot awards at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) on Tuesday. 

Five carriers will operate five additional long-distance flights from DCA:

• Alaska Airlines: DCA to San Diego
• American Airlines: DCA to San Antonio 
• Delta Air Lines: DCA to Seattle
• Southwest Airlines: DCA to Las Vegas
• United Airlines: DCA to San Francisco

Given its proximity to Washington, D.C., the extra slots at the highly congested DCA had been highly coveted. The airport limits flights within a 1,250 mile radius, but the FAA bill Congress passed this year created a provision for the DOT to award five long-distance flights. 

The provision was one of the reasons why the FAA bill was held up in Congress for over a year. Local senators opposed the extra flights on the grounds that they could create more delays at the airport, which is already slot constrained. 

Others had been lobbying for certain routes out of DCA. Senator Ted Cruz, who is set to become the chair of the Senate Commerce Committee in January, had been vocal about his support for a DCA-San Antonio route. 

The DOT rejected a JetBlue proposal to add a flight to Puerto Rico. 

Initially, some airlines were against expanding the number of long-distance flights out of DCA. United Airlines, which uses Dulles as a hub, campaigned against the move. Delta, on the other hand, argued that the slots would create more competition.