Dallas, Texas, July 17, 2024 – Southwest Airlines Company (NYSE: LUV) today submitted its response to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) seeking new, daily nonstop service between Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS). In addition to numerous letters from political, community, and business leaders, more than half of the public comments filed with the DOT so far are in favor of Southwest’s application.

Southwest is vying for one of five new round-trip flights made available at DCA through the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024. Southwest has worked closely with the Clark County Department of Aviation, the owner/operator of the LAS airport.

The DCA to LAS route is underserved with only one nonstop flight per day operated by another airline. If DOT awards a pair of slots at DCA to Southwest, the Texas-based airline will provide the first ever head-to-head competition in the DCA-LAS nonstop market. Southwest has demonstrated throughout its 53-year history that new low-cost airline competition will stimulate lower average fares and more passenger traffic and economic growth. The route would provide consumers with more options for travel across the western United States, including in Nevada, California, and Hawaii.

Southwest’s application also proposes to provide the only one-stop, same-plane/no change service between DCA and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) via LAS. The direct flight between California’s capital and the nation’s capital would maximize the competitive and consumer benefits of the DCA route. Today, no nonstop or direct service exists between DCA and SMF.

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