Washington's Ronald Reagan National Airport is getting a new
airline, the Department of Transportation announced today. Virgin
America plans to begin once a day non-stop service to their hub, San
Francisco International Airport, by late summer.
787 Dreamliner photos: Boeing's newest plane lands at Reagan
"We are pleased to have the opportunity to bring our
unique brand of service to this underserved route - and to better
connect one of the world's leading economies to our nation's capital,"
said David Cush, President and CEO of Virgin America. "Until this year,
San Francisco has been the largest travel market in the nation
previously without nonstop flights to DCA, and local travelers and
businesses deserved better."
But the hip, low airfare upstart airline will face competition on the
route as United is also planning once-a-day nonstop service to San
Francisco out of Reagan. The new flights are part of the 2012 FAA
Modernization and Reform Act, which created eight new 'slot exemptions'
allowing airlines to fly beyond the 1,250-mile limit at the airport.
In addition to Virgin's Reagan debut, Alaska Airlines will gain a
daily nonstop flight to Portland. Southwest Airlines, whose subsidiary
AirTran already operates out of DCA, was awarded a nonstop to Austin,
Texas, and JetBlue will begin service to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Southwest finally to make DCA debut
Sometime this summer, travelers will start seeing the blue and red
737’s of Southwest Airlines taxiing to a gate at DCA. The newly awarded
non-stop to Austin will be “bright new spot on our route map,” Southwest
spokesperson Whitney Eichinger told ABC 7 News by email. “We are
thrilled!!!"
JetBlue also expects to begin its new service this fall, and will
allow customers to connect through San Juan to the U.S. Virgin Islands
and the Dominican Republic. It's planning to further expand its
offerings from Reagan with additional flights Fort Lauderdale and
Orlando, as well as a new nonstop to Tampa.
The Pacific Northwest
The Alaska Airlines nonstop to Portland comes after lobbying by
Oregon’s congressional delegation and 13,000 people who sent letters to
the Department of Transportation seeking the route. It will be the only
nonstop between Portland and Reagan National Airport.
The airline says the first of its 737’s will be wheels up from the nation’s capital to Rose City by September 8.
“Providing residents of the greater Portland area with convenient
nonstop service to the closest airport to our nation’s capital has been a
priority for us for a long time and we’re delighted this day has come,”
said Brad Tilden, Alaska Air Group’s chief executive officer-elect in a
company release. “We thank the DOT for their vote of confidence in
Alaska Airlines.”
Senators from Oregon, and Washington State praised the decision.
“This direct flight will support business growth and jobs in
Southwest Washington and Oregon, and it will make the Pacific Northwest
more accessible and attractive to East Coast businesses and tourists,”
said U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash.
Alaska Airlines is based in Seattle, and along with its regional
carrier subsidiary Horizon Air, serves 90 cities in the US, Canada and
Mexico.
Expanded service for more airlines
"Today's award by the Department of Transportation further
underscores that despite being a small player at Reagan National,
JetBlue has quickly been able to stimulate traffic, lower fares, and
garner significant support in the capital region for our unique brand of
customer service" said Rob Land, senior vice president of government
affairs and associate general counsel at JetBlue.
The four airlines announced today were selected because they had limited or no service at DCA.
"These new flights will provide convenient nonstop service to our
nation's capital for travels from four major cities," Transportation
Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement. "The flights will increase
competition for airlines serving Washington, which can lead to lower
fares for consumers."
More long hauls for legacy carriers
The nation's four largest carriers - United, American, Delta, and
U.S. Airways - were allowed to trade a shorter route for one of the
long-haul exemptions. United is giving up a Chicago-O'Hare run to
compete with Virgin America on the San Francisco route, American will
switch a daily flight to Dallas for Los Angeles, Delta elected to
replace a flight to New York-LaGuardia Airport with a second nonstop to
its Salt Lake City hub, and U.S. Airways will drop a flight to Dallas in
favor of a daily nonstop to San Diego.
Congress created "slot exemptions" at Reagan National in 2000,
previously allowing 12 such longer-haul daily nonstop flights to Los
Angeles, Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, and Denver.
As for DCA's newest airline, San Francisco-based Virgin America
launched in 2007 and flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York,
Washington Dulles, Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort
Lauderdale, Chicago, Dallas, Palm Springs, Philadelphia, and three
destinations in Mexico - Los Cabos, Cancun and Puerto Vallarta. In
addition to the new Washington D.C. service, Virgin America is adding
Portland next month.