Southwest Nonstop Flight From DCA to LAS Among Reagan Airport’s Recent Expansion

Posted on: January 30, 2025, 11:25h. 

Last updated on: January 30, 2025, 12:02h.

The skies above Washington, DC, are considered among the most congested airspaces in the United States. Wednesday night’s tragic incident involving the collision of an American Airlines passenger plane and a military helicopter was a catastrophic reminder of the vital operations air traffic control plays in communicating safe flight patterns around the nation’s capital.

Southwest Washington D.C. Reagan airport crash
An information board at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport informs passengers that all flights have been grounded following a midair collision. An American Airlines plane collided with an Army helicopter, with both aircraft crashing into the Potomac River. (Image: Shutterstock)

DCA, or Ronald Regan Washington National Airport, is a regional airfield in Arlington County’s Crystal City. Airlines covet slots at the facility as they can typically charge higher rates because of the high demand for easy access in and out of the city. Reagan’s larger, international counterpart — Dulles — is a 45-minute to an hour Uber to Capitol Hill.

Congress recently made the airspace above the nation’s capital even busier with the Federal Aviation Administration Modernization and Reauthorization Act of 2024. The legislation signed by President Joe Biden last May added five additional long-distance flight slots at DCA.

The federal bill increased the daily number of flights departing and arriving at DCA running more than 1,250 miles to 45.

Washington, DC to Las Vegas

The US Transportation Department handled the bidding for the five additional long-range DCA flights. Southwest Airlines, the largest operator in Southern Nevada, won one of the concessions. Last year, Southwest Airlines brought more than 21.6 million flyers in and out of Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International.

Southwest’s bid was for nonstop service from DCA to Las Vegas. Last October, Southwest was awarded one of the slots.

The low-cost carrier is set to commence direct service from Reagan to Reid beginning on Thursday, February 13. The nonstop flights run Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Daily service between Las Vegas and DC begins on Thursday, March 6.

The January 29 collision elevates the conversation about whether DCA’s days should be numbered. Despite having three of the shortest runways in commercial aviation, DCA is the 24th-busiest airport in the country, with total passengers increasing by about 6% in 2024.

In its bid for one of the slots, Southwest told the Transportation Department that demand for flights from DC to Las Vegas increased almost threefold between 2019 and 2023. Next month, Southwest will join American Airlines as the only operators offering direct service from DCA to LAS.

Trump Blames DEI 

During his press remarks on Thursday morning, President Donald Trump seemed to blame diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs implemented under Presidents Barack Obama and Biden for the crash. The former casino owner said inferior talent and diversity hires could be responsible for the communication breakdown that resulted in the Sikorsky Blackhawk and Bombardier CRJ700 colliding midair.

[Former Transportation Secretary] Pete Buttigieg has run the FAA into the ground with his diversity,” Trump said in the White House Briefing Room. “He’s a disaster. He was a disaster as a mayor. He ran his city into the ground. He’s just got a good line of bulls**t.”

All 64 people aboard the American Airlines 5342 flight, operated by PSA Airlines, died in the accident. The three servicemembers aboard the helicopter are presumed dead, too.