SAN ANTONIO — Fulfilling an objective long pursued by aviation officials and Texas politicians on both sides of the aisle, San Antonio International Airport (SAT) is close to realizing its dream of nonstop daily flights to the country's capital.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has tentatively awarded American Airlines two new slots for flights in and out of Ronald Reagan Washington National (designated as DCA). A total of 10 slots were approved as part of the FAA Reauthorization Act this summer. That means San Antonians will soon be able to fly directly to an airport that's just a few miles from the Pentagon and Capitol Hill, barring anyone who tries to argue against the flights in the coming weeks.
The slot assignments are contingent on a final order from the Department of Transportation, which was specifically tasked with rewarding flights to airports outside a 1,250-mile perimeter from DCA.
Leaders like Sen. Ted Cruz, Rep. Joaquin Castro and Mayor Ron Nirenberg have long pushed for nonstop air service to Washington, citing the area's military presence.
"Today marks a significant milestone for San Antonio as we get one step closer to securing a nonstop flight between SAT and DCA," Nirenberg is quoted as saying in a release from the airport, calling the impending flights "long overdue."
American Airlines beat out Spirit, Frontier and JetBlue over the slot designations, joining Alaska, providing nonstop service between DCA and San Diego; Delta, providing service to Seattle; Southwest, providing service to Las Vegas; and United, providing service from San Francisco.
The Transportation Department's order to show cause announcing the tentative slot assignments said that San Antonio is the second-largest market to or from DCA that doesn't currently have nonstop service, with about 110,000 people who travel between the two airports each year, amounting to about 151 per day each way.
Cruz, who cosponsored the bipartisan FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 clearing way for the new flight assignments, called the tentative assignments "a landmark victory" for the whole state and the "culmination of a years-long effort to connect our nation's capital with the fastest-growing city in the country."
The Transportation Department will be accepting comments on its tentative assignments until Oct. 30 as the process continues. According to government documents, other airlines arguing against American's application said it already had a "dominant position" at Reagan National.
American Airlines officials in a statement thanked the Transportation Department for "recognizing the overwhelming value this route will bring."
It's expected that the SAT-DCA flights will start about 90 days from when the Transportation Department's final go-ahead is given. The earliest that could happen is November, meaning the route could achieve liftoff as soon as early 2025.
