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News


WHO WILL GET THE 5 NEW LONG-DISTANCE ROUTES FROM DCA? SOUTHWEST JOINS THE FRAY

Sean Cudahy
Sean Cudahy
Aviation Reporter
Sean Cudahy is an aviation reporter covering news about airlines, frequent flyer
programs and consumer travel issues.


May 21, 2024
•
8 min read


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The bidding has begun. Several airlines are throwing their hat into the ring,
hoping to win the right to operate more long-distance flights from Ronald Reagan
Washington National Airport (DCA).

That comes after Congress last week signed off on five additional exceptions to
a decades-old (but increasingly permeable) rule that says airlines can't fly
from DCA to destinations beyond 1,250 miles.

Already, American Airlines announced it hopes to launch new nonstop service from
DCA to San Antonio International Airport (SAT) in Texas, an airport that's only
about 130 miles beyond the current perimeter restrictions.

Alaska Airlines has revealed it hopes to bolster its DCA footprint with a new
transcontinental flight from San Diego International Airport (SAN), where it's
been growing at a fast pace of late.

And late Monday, Southwest Airlines said it hopes to launch a new flight to
Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.

Want more aviation news? Sign up for TPG's free biweekly Aviation newsletter.

Whether it's those routes or others that ultimately get approved now lies in the
hands of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

What is far more certain is that new flight options are coming to the airport
closest to our nation's capital in the not-so-distant future.

Not everyone is happy about it.

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STRICT RULES — WITH LOTS OF EXCEPTIONS

Historically, the mantra in the Washington region is that DCA gets the shorter
flights, and Dulles International Airport (IAD) gets the longer ones — not just
as it relates to Dulles' vast international schedule, but to domestic flights,
too.


SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

For decades, the Federal Aviation Administration has closely governed takeoffs
and landings at Reagan. Since the mid-1980s, airlines have been restricted from
operating DCA-based flights that stretch beyond 1,250 miles in distance — a
distance that grew from its original restriction of 650 statute miles.

The rule was designed to be a tool to manage capacity at the space-constrained
Reagan, with a goal to send bigger planes and longer flights — and the lion's
share of the region's flight growth — to Dulles, which sits on a far larger
footprint, 26 miles to the west in Northern Virginia.

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Because of that so-called perimeter line, airlines — theoretically — aren't
supposed to fly from Reagan beyond the Dakotas, western Nebraska or Kansas, or
eastern Texas (notably, Houston and Dallas are inside that "perimeter," though).

Slots and perimeter rules, explained: The little-understood government rule that
allows airlines to dominate certain airports


EXCEPTIONS MADE THROUGH THE DECADES

But, since the turn of the century, Congress has authorized one exception after
another. They've come in the form of "beyond perimeter exemptions" that have
given airlines limited leeway to fly specific routes beyond that
not-so-proverbial line of demarcation.

Today, the rules (or exceptions to those rules, more precisely) allow airlines
up to 20 round trips beyond the perimeter to specific airports, as shown on the
below map from aviation analytics firm Cirium.


CIRIUM

Cities currently authorized for beyond-perimeter slots include:

 * Austin (once daily on Southwest — or one "slot pair," which includes a daily
   takeoff and landing)
 * Denver (three slot pairs for Frontier Airlines, one for United Airlines)
 * Las Vegas (one slot pair for American)
 * Los Angeles (two slot pairs for American, one for Alaska, one for Delta Air
   Lines)
 * Phoenix (three slot pairs for American)
 * Portland, Oregon (one slot pair for Alaska)
 * Salt Lake City (one slot pair for Delta)
 * San Francisco (one slot pair for Alaska, one for United)
 * San Juan, Puerto Rico (one slot pair for JetBlue)
 * Seattle (two slot pairs for Alaska)

This mounting list of beyond-perimeter flights has fueled some pretty jarring
air travel trends at the region's airports over the past two decades.

At Reagan, airlines will fly with 31% more seats in 2024 than 2004, per Cirium.
But its seats on flights greater than 1,250 miles in length are up193% versus 20
years ago.

Meanwhile, Dulles has doubled down on international service, with those seats up
107% in 2024 versus 2004. But its seats to the U.S. and Canada (aka regions
served by DCA) are down by 25% versus 20 years ago.


SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

And it's likely the trend — at DCA, at least — will become even more stark in
the coming months.


FAA BILL GRANTS 5 MORE SLOTS

Last week, Congress opened the door to five more beyond-perimeter exemptions in
passing the larger FAA funding bill. It was a controversial move, to be sure.

Lawmakers from Virginia and Maryland fought against adding more long-distance
flights from Reagan, arguing the airport's runway is already too busy — an
argument underscored, they said, by a recent high-profile close call there.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which oversees Dulles and
Reagan, still isn't pleased with the added slots, which, it told TPG, "will
exacerbate delays, cancellations and stress on airport infrastructure."


An American Airlines jet takes off on a rainy day at Ronald Reagan Washington
National Airport (DCA). SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY


WHICH CITIES MIGHT GET DCA SERVICE?

But, the additional flights are coming.

And it's now up to the DOT to decide which airlines — and which cities — will
get the additional beyond-perimeter slots at DCA.

Under the law, signed Thursday by President Joe Biden, the DOT will have to
consider new routes to cities not currently served by DCA — and service that
might "have a positive impact on the overall level of competition" in existing
markets.

Airlines and cities have been quick to appeal to the DOT.

"San Antonio is one of the fastest growing cities in the country and is the
largest unserved market in Texas from DCA," American Executive Vice President
Nate Gatten said in a joint statement with the city of San Antonio, signaling
the Fort Worth-based carrier plans to apply for a slot to the Texas city.

Alaska likewise pointed publicly to San Diego as a potential city it sees as
worthy of a slot. San Diego is easily the largest West Coast city without any
DCA nonstop service, Alaska's chief commercial officer said in a statement
Thursday.



American previously operated a DCA flight to San Diego over a decade ago, but
ended that route in 2014 as part of divestitures the airline was required to
make to win approval of its merger with US Airways.

There's more slot-jockeying underway, too.

Southwest's proposed DCA-to-Vegas flight "would provide airline consumers with
much-needed choices and competition," the Dallas-based carrier said late Monday
— while revealing plans to offer one-stop, no plane-change service to Sacramento
International Airport (SMF) via Las Vegas as part of the potential route.

There's no current DCA route to California's capital.

Delta Air Lines is also considering options for the newly available slots, a
spokesperson confirmed Monday, noting the additional slots "will create
much-needed competition" at Reagan.

It is worth noting that Delta lacks a DCA nonstop to just one of its
beyond-perimeter hubs: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — with the
route currently only served by Alaska.


SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY

But it's also certainly conceivable that the Atlanta-based carrier could instead
aim to bolster service to its Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC) hub,
where it has just one daily flight from Reagan. No other airlines currently fly
the route.

United Airlines — which operates a major hub at Dulles, but does have a presence
at DCA — declined to comment.

Could JetBlue, an ultra-low-cost carrier — or even a Canadian carrier like Air
Canada — successfully get in on the slot competition?

Ultimately, time will tell: The DOT has fewer than 60 days to receive
applications, and make a decision.

Related reading:

 * When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?
 * The best airline credit cards
 * What exactly are airline miles, anyway?
 * 6 real-life strategies you can use when your flight is canceled or delayed
 * Maximize your airfare: The best credit cards for booking flights
 * The best credit cards to reach elite status
 * What are points and miles worth? TPG's monthly valuations

Featured image by SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY
Editorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those
of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been
reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.


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Pros & ConsMore Details


PROS

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 * The current welcome bonus on this card is quite generous. TPG values it at
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 * Premium travel protection benefits including trip cancellation insurance,
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 * Earn 75,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3
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 * Enjoy benefits such as 5x on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠, 3x on
   dining, select streaming services and online groceries, 2x on all other
   travel purchases, 1x on all other purchases, $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel
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 * Get 25% more value when you redeem for airfare, hotels, car rentals and
   cruises through Chase Travel℠. For example, 75,000 points are worth $937.50
   toward travel.
 * Count on Trip Cancellation/Interruption Insurance, Auto Rental Collision
   Damage Waiver, Lost Luggage Insurance and more.
 * Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower
   service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31,
   2024.
 * Member FDIC

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