Delta Air Lines is the latest carrier to enter the competition for new beyond-perimeter service from slot-controlled Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
The carrier says it will seek authorization from the U.S. Transportation Department (DOT) to operate a new flight between DCA and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). If approved, the airline will go head-to-head with Alaska Airlines, which serves the sector double daily.
Seven airlines are currently authorized to operate 20 daily DCA roundtrips to 10 beyond-perimeter cities. However, the 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act, which was signed into law by President Joe Biden on May 16, includes a provision that exempts five new slot pairs from the airport's 1,250-mi. perimeter rule.
One new slot pair is hallmarked for a limited incumbent—a carrier holding or operating fewer than 12 slots at the airport—while the remaining pairs will go to four non-limited incumbents, which are airlines with greater access.
“Seattle is a crucial hub for Delta,” Delta President Glen Hauenstein says. “By adding a direct flight to our nation’s capital in Washington, D.C., Seattle customers will have the additional competition and choice they deserve."
Delta already serves the Washington-Seattle market, flying twice a day between Washington Dulles International Airport and SEA. The airline is eligible to apply for one of the new slot pairs, which will be awarded through a formal application process administered by DOT.
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Spirit Airlines are also seeking to secure slots, introducing service to San Diego, San Antonio, Las Vegas and San Jose, California, respectively.
As reported by Aviation Week, three proposals—San Diego, San Antonio and San Jose—currently lack nonstop service to DCA, although they do have nonstop options to other Washington-area airports, including a seasonal Baltimore Washington-San Jose route that Spirit is launching this summer.
Delta confirmed its intention to seek one of the five slot pairs available at the launch of its inaugural nonstop flight between SEA and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). Operations will be daily using Airbus A330-900neo aircraft.
The SkyTeam member previously served Taipei via Tokyo Narita International Airport (NRT), latterly operating from Honolulu and Portland, Oregon. However, the carrier pulled Taiwan from its route map in May 2017 following a restructure of its operations in Japan’s capital.
Delta has offered one-stop service between Seattle and Taipei in the past, providing year-round flights via NRT between October 2015 and October 2016. However, the move to fly SEA-TPE nonstop marks the airline’s first nonstop connecting the U.S. and Taiwan.
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