Southwest Airlines Applies for New Nonstop Flights Between Washington DC and Las Vegas

21.05.2024 - 18:35 / travelpulse.com / North America / Bob Jordan / Patrick Clarke

Southwest Airlines is looking to become only the second airline to operate a nonstop route between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Las Vegas' Harry Reid International Airport (LAS).

The Dallas-based low-cost carrier will apply to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to operate the new daily service via one of five new roundtrip flights made available at DCA through the recently signed FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024.

Currently, only American Airlines flies nonstop between DCA and LAS.

Southwest is also seeking to secure the only one-stop, same-plane/no-change service between DCA and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) via a stopover at LAS.

"Southwest has a long history of connecting people across the nation with important moments in their lives through competitive airfares, friendly and flexible policies, and the unmatched Hospitality of our People," said Southwest President and CEO Bob Jordan. "We look forward to demonstrating to the DOT that Southwest's proposal will maximize benefits to the traveling public."

"We believe Southwest's proposed new DCA-LAS nonstop service will lower fares and increase access for the nation's capital, Las Vegas, and western states," added Jordan. "Customers in both markets will benefit from competitive airfares and nonstop, hassle-free transportation aboard the airline that invented friendly, reliable flying."

Southwest's application has the support of Nevada Senator Jacky Rosen. "As the chair of the subcommittee overseeing tourism and a member of the aviation subcommittee that helped write the FAA reauthorization bill, I've been working to bolster our national travel and tourism industry by increasing the flight slots to and from DCA," said Rosen.

"I'm glad to support Southwest's application to provide nonstop service between DCA and Harry Reid International Airport because bringing more flights to Las Vegas creates more options for visitors to come to our state and helps sustain critical tourism jobs."

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