LITTLE ROCK — The deal is in the works to land the state's largest airport a nonstop flight to and from the heart of the nation's capital.
A complicated deal between US Airways and Delta Air Lines could result in US Airways serving an additional 15 destinations from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C., including Little Rock National Airport, Adams Field.
The proposed arrangementis subject to U.S. Transportation Department approval and other government reviews, said Ron Mathieu, the executive director at Little Rock National. Assuming it is approved, the flights could begin in early 2010, he said.
Little Rock National has sought nonstop flights to Reagan National since former President Bill Clinton occupied the White House, from 1993-2001.
"With me and with the state, it's kind of a pride thing," Mathieu said. "We don't have a direct flight to the nation's capital."
The airport has had service to Washington in the past, but it didn't last long.
United inaugurated Little Rock National's first nonstop flight to Washington, D.C., in September 2007. It offered the service to Washington Dulles International Airport through operator Trans States Airlines.
United dropped the service "last fall when fuel was spiking,"said T.J. Williams, a spokesman for Little Rock National.
Dulles is about 20 miles west of the city's center, typically a 40-minute trip. Reagan National is just 3 miles south of the city.
"Reagan is closest to downtown Washington, D.C., which lends itself to a whole other level of convenience for those residents and visitors who are headed to the heart of the city," Williams said.
Little Rock National has both nonstop and direct flight serviceto Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport through Southwest Airlines. The direct has one stop in St. Louis.
A trip into Washington, D.C., from Baltimore can take anywhere from 25 minutes to 45 minutes, Williams said.
Reagan National is among a handful of large airports that have limits on the number of flights. The Federal Aviation Administration has accorded a certain number of "slots" at those airports for which airlines can apply.
In 2007, Comair, a Delta Air Lines carrier, filed an application to get gate slots at Reagan National that, if it had been approved, would have offered the only nonstop flights to and from Little Rock National. It competed for the slots with four other airlines wanting to add nonstop service from Atlanta; Chicago; Milwaukee, Wis.; and Pensacola, Fla. Another airline's application eventually won approval.
Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport at Highfill also enjoyed a limited run of nonstop service to and from Washington, D.C. American Eagle inaugurated the service in September 2007. Theflights were halted a year later, said Kelly Johnson, the airport director at Northwest Arkansas Regional.
Under the deal between US Airways and Delta, the 15 destinations US Airways is adding from Reagan National include eight cities that do not have the service now. Besides Little Rock, the other cities are Birmingham, Ala.; Islip, N.Y.; Ithaca, N.Y.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Pensacola, Fla.; Savannah, Ga.; and Tallahassee, Fla.
"We are very excited about today's announcement, which presents an excellent opportunity to strengthen our network while bringing more jet air service to smaller communities from our nation's capital," Doug Parker, US Airways chairman and chief executive officer, said in a statement announcing the deal earlier this month.
The added destinations resulted from US Airways obtaining 42 pairs of slots, or round-trip flights, at Reagan National. The deal also will allow US Airways the rights to expand to Sao Paulo and Tokyo. In exchange, Delta will receive 125 pairs of slots under US Airways control at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
In addition to Transportation Department approval, the State Department and the Justice Department also will have to reviewthe deal, Mathieu said. Little Rock National officials remain hopeful it will be approved.
With Washington served by three airports, offering travelers more than one option is a plus, Williams said. "Which [airport] has the greater benefit would depend on one's travel needs," she said.
Arkansas, Pages 7, 12 on 08/24/2009