It’s official. The five slots at Washington Reagan Airport for new daily roundtrips have been finalized for five airlines. Getting a slot at this airport for flights longer than 1,250 miles has always been tricky, and the battle to bag them this year was also quite intense, with multiple airlines in contention.
Five new daily roundtrips finalized
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has given its final approval to the five new daily roundtrip slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
(DCA). There was an intense competition for the coveted slots, with almost all major US carriers vying for one.
The final list comprises all the airlines that tentatively received the slots a few months ago: 
Alaska Airlines
, American Airlines, 
Southwest Airlines
, Delta Air Lines, and 
United Airlines
.
Photo: Andrew Mauro | Shutterstock
The DOT was particularly interested in routes that did not have nonstop services from Washington Reagan, as well as those that positively impacted the competition. After careful consideration, it finalized the following routes from Washington Reagan Airport:
- San Diego (Alaska Airlines)
-
San Antonio (
American Airlines)
-
Seattle (
![]()
Delta Air Lines)
- Las Vegas (Southwest)
- San Francisco (United Airlines)
Delta Air LinesDelta Air Lines had been quite vocal about adding more flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and lobbied for a change significantly, a move opposed by United. It will compete with Alaska Airlines for the Seattle flight.
American Airlines wanted to increase connectivity with Texas and its daily flight to San Antonio will connect the seventh-largest US city to the Washington-area airport. Southwest will fly a daily service between Washington and Las Vegas, which is currently served by a daily American Airlines flight.
Photo: Kat Leong | Shutterstock
Alaska Airlines’ San Diego service also has huge potential. The carrier studied the passenger demand for the route and realized that it is the largest market without nonstop flights to the DC airport. Finally, United will connect the airport with a nonstop flight to San Francisco.
All airlines have 90 days to start these services or until March 17, 2025.
Previous objections
Some carriers that did not make it to the final list also
objected to the DOT’s earlier decision
. Frontier Airlines, JetBlue, and Spirit Airlines were not happy with the Department’s choices, so they filed objections to the DOT’s decision on October 30.
Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines asked the Department to award them slots, and JetBlue requested the agency not to finalize its decision. JetBlue said that there was a disconnect between the DOT’s goals and its actions in pursuit of these goals and said,
“At the same time, DOT has inconsistently issued Order 2024-10-11, using a prominent “case by case” proceeding to reward the country’s five largest airlines with additional prized access to Washington, DC’s primary airport, while rejecting applications from the three smallest applicants who deliver lower-fare competition.”
Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock
The Washington Reagan Airport has had a perimeter rule restriction since 1966. It was based on the idea that longer flights would operate from Washington Dulles International Airport while smaller, lighter aircraft would fly out of DCA, reducing noise pollution for residents.
The initial perimeter rule limited flight lengths to 650 miles, but it has now been relaxed to 1,250 miles, with 25 daily flights for this limit, including the five new slots.
A new lounge awaits passengers
With the new flights, Washington Reagan Airport is expected to have more footfall, and it’s investing in infrastructure to provide passengers a smooth airport experience. Capital One has now started offering lounge services at DCA.
Photo: grandbrothers | Shutterstock
The space measures 5,500 square feet and is located after security in Terminal 2 at the turn to the D Concourse. Passengers can arrive up to three hours before their departure time, during the opening hours of 05:00 to 21:00. Vice President and Head of Capital One Travel Jenn Scheurich said in a statement:
“When creating Capital One Landing, our goal was to reimagine the airport experience once again for travelers, bringing a dining experience they’d be excited to encounter anywhere in the world – not just in an airport.”
More details can be found in the article below.
Related
Capital One Landing Opens In Terminal 2 At Reagan National Airport
The space looks to offer the highlights of a traditional airport lounge experience to customers on short-haul flights.
