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

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.

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.

Read the full article from Simple Flying HERE.