Larsen Commends Alaska Airlines for Winning Coveted Nonstop Service to National Airport

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) applauded the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) announcement this afternoon that it has approved additional round trip flights at Reagan National Airport and granted Alaska Airlines two additional daily round trip flights, one between National Airport and Seattle and one between National Airport and Los Angeles.

FAA rules severely limit the number of flights at National Airport for flights to and from destinations more than 1,250 miles from the airport. Larsen, a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, successfully pushed last year for additional flights at National Airport beyond the 1,250-mile perimeter. He also urged the FAA to accept Seattle-based Alaska Airline's application for access to the additional round trip flights out of National Airport.
Larsen released the following statement on today's announcement:

"At a time when the aviation industry has taken some serious economic hits, it is great news that Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is expanding its service. This win for Alaska Airlines is also a win for the Pacific Northwest. Washington state is about as far west and north from Washington, D.C., as you can get. Constituents coming out to visit their nation's capital will now have better options, and a locally-based airline can grow its business.

"As a member of the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I pushed hard to increase the number of nonstop flights at National Airport for flights outside the 1,250-mile perimeter. In the Vision-100-Century for Flight Aviation Authorization Act that the president signed into law in December, we were able to include six new roundtrip flights.

"After we helped secure the extra slots, I worked with the Washington State Congressional Delegation to urge the FAA to accept Alaska's application for access to the slots.

"I congratulate Alaska Airlines on their successful bid for more flights into and out of National. This is great news for a homegrown company and the hometown economy."