The U.S. Department of Transportation announced on Monday that seven major airlines are eligible to apply for five new daily round-trip flights from Washington Reagan National Airport.
On May 16th, President Biden signed a bill to increase new flights at the busy Arlington, Virginia airport. Applications must be submitted by July 8th, and comments on the applications must be submitted by July 17th.
The Department of Transportation stated that American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, JetBlue Airlines, Air Canada, and Alaska Airlines are eligible to apply.
The Department of Transportation also encouraged airlines to "provide no more than one backup service proposal" in their applications and noted that new flights must begin operations by mid-July.
The Washington area has three major airports, but Reagan National Airport is the closest to Capitol Hill and downtown. With its shorter runways, its main runway is one of the busiest in the nation. By passenger volume, Reagan National Airport is the 23rd busiest airport in the United States.
Delta Airlines previously announced that it would apply to launch a new flight between Seattle and Reagan, which, if successful, would compete with the two daily flights currently operated by Alaska Airlines.
Delta Airlines has lobbied heavily for the change and pushed for more daily flights, while United Airlines has opposed it.
Southwest Airlines stated that it would apply to launch a new daily flight between Washington and Las Vegas, a route currently served by only one daily American Airlines flight.
American Airlines hopes to launch a new daily flight between San Antonio and Washington, which would connect the seventh largest city in the United States with Washington Airport.
