Five New Routes Awarded at Reagan National

The Department of Transportation issued its final order regarding nonperimeter flights from Washington Reagan National Airport on Tuesday. As part of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, the airport received five more round-trip slot pairs extending beyond its 1,250-mile perimeter rule.

In October, the agency tentatively awarded the slot pairs to American, Alaska, Delta, United, and Southwest, allowing 14 days for other carriers to file objections.

JetBlue, Frontier, and Spirit – whose proposals were not selected – objected to the DOT’s ruling. Spirit even hinted at legal action in its response.

With the final order now issued, selected airlines are expected to inaugurate service within 90 days, unless the DOT grants an exception.

New Routes

American plans to serve San Antonio with daily Airbus A321 flights. The Fort Worth, Texas-based airline is the largest carrier at Reagan National.

Delta is set to serve its Seattle hub with daily service from the D.C. airport on an Airbus A321neo. The airline will compete directly with Alaska on the same route.

A Delta aircraft takes off from Washington-DCA (Photo: Shutterstock | Andrew Mauro)

“American would like to thank the city and community of San Antonio, the San Antonio International Airport, U.S. Senator Cruz and the entire Texas delegation for its strong partnership and support of this effort. I’d also like to thank DOT for recognizing the overwhelming value this route will bring to a previously unserved market,” said American Executive Vice President Nate Gatten in a Wednesday news release.

Alaska was also awarded new routes. Alaska will add service between Reagan National and San Diego on a Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft. The Seattle-based carrier also serves San Diego from Washington Dulles.

“We are pleased the DOT sees the value of Alaska providing direct service between San Diego and DCA, and we thank the many local businesses and organizations who supported our bid. This new route reflects our commitment to San Diego, home of the nation’s largest military community, and offers our guests a seamless travel option to our nation’s capital,” CEO Ben Minicucci said in a news release on Tuesday.

San Diego is the largest unserved market from the airport, previously flown by US Airways before the route was cut in 2014.

Southwest will also operate new flights between Washington and Las Vegas following the slot award. The carrier will go head-to-head with American on the route.

Finally, United gains a second daily nonstop flight to San Francisco. The airline will compete with Alaska between the two cities.

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Ryan founded AirlineGeeks.com back in February 2013 and has amassed considerable experience in the aviation sector. His work has been featured in several publications and news outlets, including CNN, WJLA, CNET, and Business Insider. During his time in the industry, he's worked in roles pertaining to airport/airline operations while holding a B.S. in Air Transportation Management from Arizona State University along with an MBA. Ryan has experience in several facets of the industry from behind the yoke of a Cessna 172 to interviewing airline industry executives. Ryan works for AirlineGeeks' owner FLYING Media, spearheading coverage in the commercial aviation space.

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