Looks like San Antonio's effort to land a nonstop flight to Washington D.C. may be trickier than local leaders let on.
JetBlue Airways and United Airlines are trying to ground an effort by American Airlines to create a nonstop flight between San Antonio International Airport and the nation's capital, the Express-News reports.
San Antonio leaders battled for decades to get nonstop service to Washington, D.C., finally appearing to win a victory in May when Congress passed a bill expanding the number of direct flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The same day the U.S. House approved the bill, American Airlines officials said they would apply for one of the five new round-trip slots opened up at Reagan National.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will make the final call on which airlines get those coveted new flights, and the competition appears cutthroat, the Express News reports.
JetBlue wants to claim one of the slots for flight between D.C. and San Juan, Puerto Rico, while United wants to fly between the capital and San Francisco, according to the daily. Both airlines have argued to the DOT that their proposed flights should take priority over San Antonio.
In its filings with the feds, Jet Blue maintains that San Antonio shouldn't get a flight because it's within driving distance of Austin, which already has direct shots to Reagan National, the Express-News reports.
For its part, United told federal officials that a route between D.C. and San Antonio — which the airline called "a smaller metropolitan area" — would have "limited booking demand," according to the daily.
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JetBlue Airways and United Airlines are trying to ground an effort by American Airlines to create a nonstop flight between San Antonio International Airport and the nation's capital, the Express-News reports.
San Antonio leaders battled for decades to get nonstop service to Washington, D.C., finally appearing to win a victory in May when Congress passed a bill expanding the number of direct flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
The same day the U.S. House approved the bill, American Airlines officials said they would apply for one of the five new round-trip slots opened up at Reagan National.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will make the final call on which airlines get those coveted new flights, and the competition appears cutthroat, the Express News reports.
JetBlue wants to claim one of the slots for flight between D.C. and San Juan, Puerto Rico, while United wants to fly between the capital and San Francisco, according to the daily. Both airlines have argued to the DOT that their proposed flights should take priority over San Antonio.
In its filings with the feds, Jet Blue maintains that San Antonio shouldn't get a flight because it's within driving distance of Austin, which already has direct shots to Reagan National, the Express-News reports.
For its part, United told federal officials that a route between D.C. and San Antonio — which the airline called "a smaller metropolitan area" — would have "limited booking demand," according to the daily.
American is punching back, however. In its federal filings, American accused United of holding a monopoly on D.C.-area air traffic, according to the Express-News.
What's more, American maintains that JetBlue's and United's requests for new slots at Reagan National don't meet a requirement in the bill that calls for the flights to go to cities that don't currently have direct flights to Reagan National.
The DOT is expected to announce its decision on the flights later this summer, according to the Express-News.
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