Written by David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Seven major airlines are eligible to apply for five new daily round-trip flights from Washington’s Reagan National Airport, the U.S. Department of Transportation said on Monday.
On May 16, President Joe Biden signed legislation creating new flights at the busy airport in Arlington, Virginia, outside the nation’s capital. Applications must be submitted by July 8 and comments on applications must be submitted by July 17.
American Airlines (NASDAQ:), Delta Air Lines (N:), United Airlines, Southwest Airlines (NYSE:), JetBlue, Air Canada and Alaska Airlines are eligible to apply, the Department of Transportation said.
The US Department of Transportation said it encouraged airlines “not to provide more than one standby service offer in their requests,” citing the law that requires new flights to begin by mid-July.
The Washington area has three major airports, but Reagan National Airport is the closest to the U.S. Capitol and downtown. Because of its short runways, its main runway is the busiest in the country. In terms of passengers, Reagan Airport is the 23rd busiest airport in the United States.
Delta previously said it would apply for a new flight between Seattle and Reagan, and if successful, it would compete with Alaska Airlines, which operates the two current daily flights between the two airports.
Delta pushed hard for the change — pushing to add more daily flights — while United opposed it.
Southwest said it will apply for a new daily flight between Washington and Las Vegas, which has only one flight per day on American Airlines.
American wants to start a new daily flight between San Antonio and Washington, which would connect America’s seventh-largest city to the capital’s airport.
Alaska wants a new daily flight to Reagan from San Diego, the largest market without direct flights to the capital’s airport.