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A few weeks ago, I covered the airlines that are seeking slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The airport will see five new flights added that will each span over 1,250 miles. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approved a bill that will allow five beyond-perimeter slots to be added. Each accommodate a flight that breaches the past limitation of the airport and airlines are already clamoring for these slots. The appeal of the airport is that it is much closer to the city than the other DC-area airports and therefore has greater appeal for politicians and tourists alike. JetBlue is the latest airline entering the fray with a request to add flights to/from San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU), which will become a JetBlue crew base by the end of the year (more here).
JetBlue has operated the only daily, nonstop flight between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) since the Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded slot exemptions to the airline in 2012. It has requested to add a second daily flight based on the demand it sees for the route.
Robert Land, JetBlue’s Head of Government Affairs and Associate General Counsel, said:
JetBlue looks forward to submitting our application to enhance the connection between Reagan National and our focus city, San Juan, with convenient double-daily low fare roundtrip flights between the two capitals. Puerto Rico, known as ‘La Isla del Encanto,’ relies on air service to maintain and enhance its connection with the mainland United States, and to Washington, D.C. in particular.”
JetBlue began serving Puerto Rico in 2002 and quickly became the preferred carrier on the island. JetBlue today employs more than 370 crew members and provides service at Aguadilla’s Rafael Hernández International Airport (BQN) and Ponce’s Mercedita International Airport (PSE). JetBlue will soon operate flights to 18 different nonstop destinations from the three airports it serves by the end of 2024 with an average 46 departures per day (more than any other airline).
Anthony’s Take: The decision on which carriers will receive slots should be coming soon. We’ll see who actually is awarded them and what new cities will be connected to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
(Image Credits: JetBlue and Sonder Quest.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
