American Airlines, known for its significant presence at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), continues to fly to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), despite IAD being the hub of rival United Airlines. According to statistics from aviation analytics company Cirium, American Airlines currently operates two routes to IAD from its hubs in Charlotte and Dallas-Fort Worth. These flights number three to four daily from both cities, despite offering up to ten daily flights from these cities to DCA.
American Airlines’ Executive Vice President, Scott Kirby, highlighted the importance of these operations, saying, "There is enough pent-up demand from passengers at its own originating hubs that prefer Dulles over National when flying to Washington DC." The strategic rationale extends to the geographic convenience Dulles offers, especially for the exurban population of Northern Virginia (NOVA) and major aviation industry players located there such as Boeing and Northrop Grumman.
As NOVA's population has nearly doubled over the past two decades, Dulles' convenience overshadows travel time differences due to the region's traffic congestion. Kirby explained further, "While National might be very convenient for those traveling in and out of the District of Columbia itself, it's not so much for those living and working further out in Maryland and Virginia."