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.
































Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)
Global tourism exceeds 1.5 billion travelers announces UN-Tourism
WTTC global tourism reached record economic impact of 11 trillion in 2025
Marginal increase for New York City tourism in 2025