Southwest expands at Reagan National
Move dovetails with AirTran’s new DCA/Austin route
Southwest Airlines has bought four slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) from Spirit Airlines and plans to use the slots for two daily round trips from DCA to St. Louis.
"It’s an opportunity we saw and we took it," Southwest’s spokesperson Paul Flanigan told TravelMole.
The airline is awaiting approval from the Department of Transportation on slide filing, which can take up to 30 days and is also subject to FAA approval.
Last May the once-maverick, now mainstreaming airline purchased AirTran Airways for $1 billion and increased its grip on business travel with AirTran’s gates at LaGuardia Airport and its hub in Atlanta. AirTran’s daily Austin to DCA service starts July 8.
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. Later this summer, Southwest will find themselves cheek-by-jowl with competitor Virgin America when it begins flights from San Francisco to DCA.
By Gretchen Kelly
Gretchen Kelly
Have your say Cancel reply
Subscribe/Login to Travel Mole Newsletter
Travel Mole Newsletter is a subscriber only travel trade news publication. If you are receiving this message, simply enter your email address to sign in or register if you are not. In order to display the B2B travel content that meets your business needs, we need to know who are and what are your business needs. ITR is free to our subscribers.

































Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025