Cantwell outlines airline picks for Washington National Airport expansion

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Cantwell outlines airline picks for Washington National Airport expansion

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Gary Leff Chief Financial Officer | View from the Wing

By Sky Industry News

Jul 20, 2024

Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which oversees the Department of Transportation (DOT) and drafted the FAA Reauthorization Act language that created new slots at Washington’s National Airport, has made her recommendations clear. She not only authored the law but also provided explicit guidance on who should receive these new slots.

In a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg filed in the regulatory docket, Senator Cantwell outlined her preferences for airlines to be granted slots allowing flights beyond 1,250 miles from National Airport. Section 502 of the act was designed to provide direct access from unserved locations in the western and southwestern United States such as San Antonio and San Diego while increasing competition on existing routes like Las Vegas and Seattle.

The primary recipients of these beyond-perimeter slot pairs are American Airlines for San Antonio and Alaska Airlines for San Diego. Senator Cantwell emphasized that these selections align with Congressional intent. "San Antonio is the flight that the committee’s ranking member, Ted Cruz (R-TX), wanted in championing these slots," she noted. Additionally, she highlighted that "San Diego isn’t just a market without current service from the airport; it’s the proposal of her home state airline Alaska."

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Other proposed services include Delta's flight to Seattle and Southwest's service to Las Vegas. Delta operates a hub in Seattle, Senator Cantwell's home state, while Southwest is seeking approval for its Las Vegas route currently only operated by American.

Congress stipulated that one out of five slot pairs go to a small carrier currently at National Airport, with four allocated to larger carriers based on operations at the airport. The DOT has suggested Alaska could qualify as a small carrier; however, their operations in conjunction with American Airlines codeshares raise questions about this classification.

If Alaska is deemed a large carrier (“non-limited incumbent”), United's proposal for San Francisco and JetBlue's for San Juan may not be approved under this category. Conversely, if Alaska qualifies as a small carrier, they would secure their slot pair for San Diego.

Air Canada was considered by DOT but isn't eligible due to being an international carrier. Spirit claims eligibility based on past service at National Airport and proposes a route to San Jose. Frontier also asserts qualification based on their exemption slot flights despite minimal current service and requests approval for a flight to San Juan.

Senator Cantwell expects four of the five slots will be awarded to American Airlines (San Antonio), Alaska Airlines (San Diego), Delta (Seattle), and Southwest (Las Vegas). This leaves uncertainty over which proposals will fill remaining categories under regulatory proceedings.

United argues against additional exemption slots going to American Airlines while lobbying for another San Francisco flight based on biofuel investments—a point not included in selection criteria under current legislation. Delta counters by supporting Southwest's application while abstaining from commenting on applications from Alaska, Frontier, or Spirit unless they compete directly within their category.

Frontier contends they are uniquely eligible for one non-limited incumbent slot but faces classification challenges between “new entrant” versus “non-limited incumbent” statuses at National Airport.