5 major airlines will share new long-haul flights to Reagan National Airport near Washington

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Transportation Department has tentatively allocated space for five new long-haul daily flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport to five of the nation's largest airlines, while rejecting proposals from some low-cost carriers.

The routes announced Wednesday would provide more options for travelers flying between Washington and major Western cities such as San Francisco and Seattle.

The Transportation Department said it would accept comments on its decision until Oct. 30 and then allow responses to the comments until Nov. 8.

Many travelers prefer the convenient Reagan National Airport, just a short subway ride from downtown Washington, and Dulles International Airport, more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) west of the nation's capital.

Flights longer than 1,250 miles (2,000 kilometers) to Reagan National are strictly limited by federal law, but under pressure from Delta Air Lines and others, Congress this year approved enough new takeoff and landing rights to create five new daily flights. and to support return flights.

Here are the winning airlines and their scheduled routes:

— Alaska Airlines, service to and from San Diego International Airport.

– American Airlines to and from San Antonio International Airport in Texas.

– Delta, to and from Seattle Tacoma International Airport.

– Southwest Airlines, to and from Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas.

– United Airlines, to and from San Francisco International Airport.

The Transportation Department rejected an offer from JetBlue Airways to add another flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico. The department determined that Frontier Airlines and Spirit Airlines were ineligible because Congress limited competition to airlines already operating flights at Reagan National.

The new flights join the limited number of current long-haul flights to the nearby airport from cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Denver.

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