If you are able to plan ahead, the best option for parking is to create an account and reserve a spot: https://www.flyreagan.com/parking-tr...ng-information

Does anyone know when slots will be awarded and how quickly flights could start? I have to make a couple of SEA-DCA trips at the end and I'd prefer to fly DL instead of the usual AS 4/3 combo.

Here is Delta's proposal: https://www.regulations.gov/document...2024-0065-5803
It states: "Delta is prepared to launch service on the DCA-SEA route within 60 days following the issuance of a final order selecting Delta�s proposal."
The DOT should award the slots soon - by the end of the summer.

If DCA's runways could support it, what international destination do we think would be interesting picks? Maybe DUB because preclearance? 757s already regularly operate to/from DCA; surely a lightly loaded 321LR/XLR or 220 could do the same across the water?

Or if we pretended DCA had CBP facilities... maybe LHR or ORY would have sufficient demand for a daily flight. Maybe it'd have to be all business like the 318s BA used to operate from LCY.

N.b. This is a mere thought experiment, in a thread about beyond-perimeter flights.

None of them.

They're all beyond the perimeter; and any exemptions for perimeter flights require Congress to act. And Congress is not going to take the vote for something that benefits zero of their constituents. Add in the fact that only AA would be a plausible domestic operator - what's the rationale for them operating a single flight from DCA rather than feeding PHL or JFK? And if not AA, Congress is definitely not going to expend political capital for a foreign airline to serve DCA.

As a practical matter, no, the runway isn't going to be favorable to those long flights.

As a policy matter, no, it does not make any sense to change the airport to accommodate long-haul or international flights. We have IAD for that.

This is a solution looking for a problem. It's not as if it's hard to set up a flight to IAD or BWI.

If DCA had a longer runway, there was no perimeter rule, and had CBP facilities? Well, as long as we're making hypotheticals, what if there was also commercial service to the moon?

I disagree. DCA is an AA hub. It already runs international routes. Thry can do an international route out of D S such as to Cancun, Mexico City, Aruba, other Caribbean islands.

these can be done in a 737 or similar size aircraft

A few things:

Just because those places are within narrowbody range doesn't mean a long-haul (e.g. transatlantic) service will work from DCA's runway. The 321 is a great plane, but it's not good on runway performance. It's not like the 757; and will require more runway to take off with a full load than DCA has.

And all of those example destinations are beyond the perimeter. Congress will not add more beyond-perimeter exemptions just so AA can operate international flights out of DCA. They want flights to and from their own districts. not Mexico City. AA already flies to the only Caribbean markets within the perimeter and with pre-clearance.

And furthermore, because DCA is not equipped for non-preclearance international fights, the airport authority will not add facilities to support those flights. The airport authority has already built those facilities - they are at Dulles. They are legally required by Congress to operate the two airports as a system, and a key element of that system is that the international flights go to Dulles.

So, Congress isn't going to do this. AA isn't going to push for it. The local governments don't want it, and the airports authority doesn't want it.

I agree with everything you said. I'll just note that the A220-100 (which DL and B6 operate) could likely make DCA-DUB. But, for the reasons you cited -- not to mention the economics involved -- I do not expect to see such a flight.

Well that's a bummer, this didn't really land the way I thought.

In case this wasn't obvious (and been since clarified in the original bit): this isn't so much a solution looking for a problem--it's a thought experiment. And surely we're all aware these are beyond perimeter flights: that's the title of this thread. I apologise about trying to generate some interesting discussion, and that it didn't fit other perspectives.

Anyways. Remains to be seen who these slots are doled out to.

Seems like the DOT tentatively awarded the slots (http://www.regulations.gov/document/...024-0065-23579). Emphasis is mine.

"By this Order, the U.S. Department of Transportation (the Department) tentatively grants two slot exemptions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to each of five nonlimited incumbent or limited incumbent air carriers, to operate new nonstop roundtrip service as follows: • Alaska Airlines, Inc. (Alaska) for service to San Diego, California (SAN); • American Airlines, Inc. (American) for service to San Antonio, Texas (SAT); -2- • Delta Air Lines, Inc. (Delta) for service to Seattle, Washington (SEA); • Southwest Airlines Co. (Southwest) for service to Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS); and • United Airlines, Inc. (United) for service to San Francisco, California (SFO)."

AA plans to use an A321, daily.
DL plans to use an A321neo, daily; will compete with AS on the route.
AS plans to use a 7M8; already serves via IAD. SAN is the largest unserved market from DCA, and last served by US in 2014.
WN will compete with AA on the route.
UA will add a second flight to SFO, and of course already serves via IAD.
(Details reproducted from AirlineGeeks, any errors or omissions are theirs. )

Ha, you beat me to it. No real surprises other than maybe the 2x UA SFO route, which will be better timings for DMV residents. I'll update the chart at the top of this thread later today...

Note this is just a tentative order, and Spirit, Frontier, or JetBlue may sue to stop the final order from going into effect.

While the 757 is the king of short field performance, the 321 is at least capable of transcons (hence DL using it to SEA) while 739s/7M9s can only do DCA transcons with a penalty, which is why 738s are the choice for AS/UA.

Anyway, TATL out of DCA is not happening.

Yes, the 321 does fine for transcons out of DCA, but TATL flights are longer than transcons. AA uses the 321-neo on DCA-LAX, which is a ~5 hour flight. IAD-DUB (which Aer Lingus also uses the 321-neo for) is a 6.5 to 7 hour flight.