Delta Air Lines Applies For New Nonstop Service Between Seattle-Tacoma & Reagan National Airport

The airline is one of five carriers hoping to obtain sought-after slots at the busy airport.

Delta Air Lines has revealed its desire to fly between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). The carrier is one of several airlines currently hoping to obtain one of the sought-after slot pairs at the busy airport that were recently made available.

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

The majority of slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport are subject to a strict perimeter rule, limiting the length of flights and making transcontinental services difficult to operate. However, in April 2024, the Senate passed a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bill to allow five more round-trip slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for flights over 1,250 miles in length. President Biden then signed the bill into law on May 16th.

Increased competition to bring down fares

If Delta Air Lines goes on to operate the proposed route, the carrier would face competition from Alaska Airlines, which already operates twice-daily flights between the two airports with its Boeing 737 aircraft. In a statement reported by Reuters, Delta Air Lines highlighted the importance of this route to passengers, saying:

“The addition of this flight will bring much-needed competition to a route with some of the highest ticket prices in the country.”

Photo: Andrew Mauro I Shutterstock

Delta Air Lines already operates one transcontinental route from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), deploying its Boeing 757-200 aircraft on the route. If successful in its application, the airline may look to use the 757, or could put its newer Airbus A321neos to use on services to Seattle.

Sought-after slots at the country’s 23rd-busiest airport

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is the 23rd-busiest airport in the US, although the vast majority of its flights are under 1,250 miles in length, due to the strict perimeter rule in place. Most of the city’s transcontinental and international flights operate from Dulles International Airport (IAD), which does not have the same restrictions.

The perimeter rule was introduced in 1966 and was initially set at 650 miles. This limit was subsequently increased in 1981 and again in 1986 to the current 1,250 miles. Since 2000, Congress has approved just 25 daily flights at the airport that are able to go beyond that limit (including the five introduced this year).

Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying

Among the other airlines seeking to obtain one of the five new slot pairs at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in order to launch new daily services from the airport are:

• Southwest Airlines – Las Vegas (LAS)
• American Airlines – San Antonio (SAT)
• Alaska Airlines – San Diego (SAN)
• Spirit Airlines – San Jose (SJC)

American Airlines currently has the largest presence at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, with a market share of 29%, ahead of Southwest Airlines, with 15%, and Delta Air Lines, which has 9%. The busiest five routes from the airport last year were Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Orlando (MCO), and Miami (MIA).

What do you think of Delta Air Lines’ plans to launch daily services between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport? Let us know by commenting below.

Source: Simple Flying