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The
routes announced Wednesday would offer more options to travelers
flying between Washington and major Western cities including San
Francisco and Seattle.
The Transportation Department said it will take comments on its
decision until Oct. 30, then allow answers to the comments until
Nov. 8.
Many travelers prefer the convenience of Reagan National, which
is a short Metro subway ride away from downtown Washington, to
Dulles International Airport, located more than 20 miles (32
kilometers) west of the nation’s capital.
Flights longer than 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) to Reagan
National are strictly limited by federal law, but under pressure
from Delta Air Lines and others, Congress this year approved
enough new takeoff and landing rights to support five new daily
round trips.
Here are the winning airlines and their planned routes:
— Alaska Airlines, service to and from San Diego International
Airport.
— American Airlines, to and from San Antonio International
Airport in Texas.
— Delta, to and from Seattle Tacoma International Airport.
— Southwest Airlines, to and from Harry Reid International
Airport in Las Vegas.
— United Airlines, to and from San Francisco International
Airport.
The Transportation Department rejected a bid by JetBlue Airways
to add another flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The department
ruled that Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines weren't
eligible because Congress limited the contest to carriers that
already operate flights at Reagan National.
The new flights will add to the limited number of current long
flights to the close-in airport from cities including Los
Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver.
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