The U.S. Transportation Department has finalized its award of five new daily round-trip flights from Washington Reagan National Airport, a move mandated by legislation signed by President Joe Biden in May. The new flights are part of an effort to expand service to cities lacking direct flights and to foster competition in existing markets. The selected airlines—American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, and Alaska Airlines—are expected to launch the new routes within 90 days.
These flights include Delta’s new service to Seattle, Southwest’s to Las Vegas, and American Airlines to San Antonio, Texas. Additionally, Alaska Airlines will introduce a flight to San Diego, the largest market without direct flights to Reagan National, while United will launch a new route to San Francisco. The Transportation Department rejected JetBlue’s proposal for a flight to Puerto Rico.
Reagan National is the busiest airport in the U.S. by runway traffic and ranks 24th in passenger volume. Despite being one of three major airports serving the Washington region, its short runways limit the destinations it can serve. The legislation, originally passed in 1966 with restrictions on flight distances, has gradually been expanded to include flights up to 1,250 miles. Since 2000, 25 new daily flights have been approved, including the latest five. The debate over these flights delayed an aviation reform bill for more than six months.
