San Diego International Airport learned Wednesday that it will likely get a nonstop flight to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, thanks to new federal legislation that has opened up highly competitive slots for the airfield just outside Washington, D.C.
Alaska Airlines confirmed Wednesday that it has been provisionally approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation to introduce nonstop service between San Diego and Reagan National. The airline already flies nonstop from the DC-area airport to four other West Coast destinations: Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Once the preliminary decision is finalized, Alaska would be prepared to launch the daily flight within 90 days, using Boeing 737-800 or 737-8 Max aircraft with capacity for 159 passengers, the airline indicated in its application.
“This brings us one step closer to offering the only nonstop service between these two large markets,” Alaska Airlines said in a statement. “Alaska urges DOT to finalize the selection of our application to serve San Diego as soon as possible. “Alaska is proud to connect these two critical markets and looks forward to offering our premium service to guests in San Diego, Washington, DC and along the West Coast.”
Officials at the San Diego airport, which hasn’t had nonstop service to Reagan National in a decade, welcomed the news.
“Leadership from across industry sectors and communities in the San Diego region has come out in support of nonstop air service between DCA and SAN,” said Kimberly J. Becker, president and CEO of the Regional Airport Authority. of San Diego County.
“We appreciate DOT’s thoughtful analysis supporting the restoration of service among the largest unserved aviation market in the country. “We look forward to the final order to consolidate the service that both San Diego and Alaska Airlines have been promoting for more than ten years.”
It is unclear how long it will take before the Department of Transportation finalizes its preliminary decision. The DOT issued what is known as a “cause” order that allows for a public comment period before a final order is issued. Based on the timeline indicated in the order, a final decision could potentially come in approximately three weeks.
News of what will be five new nonstop routes to Reagan National comes five months after Alaska Airlines first announced it would apply for the flight from San Diego.
A nonstop flight to Reagan National is highly coveted because flights from what is the closest airport to Washington, DC, have been strictly regulated for years. As a smaller domestic airport, it is subject to the perimeter rule, which limits nonstop flights to and from Reagan to within 1,250 miles of Washington unless the government grants an exception. According to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, there are 40 flights of the airport’s more than 800 daily flights that fall under that exception.
The only previous time San Diego had a nonstop route to Reagan National was in 2012, when US Airways received a waiver for San Diego. That lasted a couple of years until American Airlines merged with US Airways and decided to transfer its Reagan National slot from San Diego to Los Angeles.
Alaska is one of five airlines that have provisionally won nonstop flights to and from Reagan National. The others are American Airlines for service to San Antonio, Delta Air Lines to Seattle, Southwest Airlines to Las Vegas and United Airlines to San Francisco. Three other airlines — Frontier, JetBlue and Spirit — applied for spots at Reagan National, but didn’t make the cut.
In explaining the logic behind its preliminary conclusion, the DOT noted that it had evaluated the competitive and public benefits presented by each airline proposal. Following its analysis, the department concluded that the airline proposals it provisionally selected “will offer the greatest competitive and public benefits.”
More specifically, he dismissed objections raised about Alaska Airlines’ San Diego proposal, pointing to the advantages of new nonstop service to Washington, D.C., for those flying from San Diego.
“The Department’s analysis indicates that airfares for DCA-SAN are currently 30% higher than the average for DCA, as well as the average airfares for the broader Washington, DC market, and the US national average. . US,” the department wrote. “Alaska does not have a dominant presence in DCA, owning only approximately 2% of the allocated slots…These factors combined persuade the Department to provisionally conclude that Alaska’s DCA-SAN service would have a positive impact on the overall level of competition in the Washington, DC-San Diego market.”
San Diego is the largest market in the US without nonstop service to Reagan National. Although there are airlines that fly regularly between San Diego and Dulles and Baltimore airports without an intermediate stop, Reagan National is much more convenient, just five miles from the nation’s capital.
Airline analyst Henry Harteveldt of Atmospheric Research said he believes Alaska Airlines is an ideal choice for San Diego passengers looking to fly to the D.C. area.
“This is great news for San Diego, but it’s also good that they chose Alaska Airlines because they have a reputation for providing good service,” Harteveldt said. “They also have a premium first class section as well as economy class, so people have a choice depending on their budget and travel style. “Alaska also has a significant presence in San Diego, so this increases the airline’s utility and appeal to travelers.”
Original Story
San Diego looks like a sure bet to get much coveted nonstop flight to Washington, D.C.
