US Air soon will offer 3 nonstops to D.C.-Reagan

Seeking to attract highly coveted business travelers, US Airways said Wednesday that it is launching three nonstop flights from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport to Washington's Reagan National Airport this summer.

By starting nonstop service to the nation's capital, US Airways will go head to head with Delta Air Lines, MSP's dominant carrier and the airport's only other airline to offer nonstop service to Washington, D.C. It will compete for Delta's robust clientele of Twin Cities business travelers, many of whom fly to Washington frequently for their companies.

Reagan "is the preferred airport for business travelers into the Washington, D.C., area," said Brian Peters, assistant director of air service business development for the Metropolitan Airports Commission. He noted that Reagan National is closest to central Washington and government buildings.

US Airways, which has offered service to Washington through connecting flights, will launch the routes on July 11. Peters said discussions began with the Tempe, Ariz.-based airline more than two years ago. The routes were made possible after US Airways and Atlanta-based Delta exchanged landing slots at LaGuardia and Reagan in an effort to boost their efficiency. In the deal, US Airways picked up 42 slots at Reagan and Delta gained 132 at LaGuardia.

Airport officials hope the added competition will contribute to lower prices at MSP, which has some of the highest fares in the nation.

"We want as much competitive service on all of our routes," Peters said. "It is in essence exactly what we need."

US Airways' announcement is part of a larger effort to increase flights to and from Reagan National Airport. The airline named five other cities that will add nonstop flights this summer: San Diego, Augusta, Ga., Fayetteville, Ark., Montreal, Quebec and Toronto, Ontario.

And there is high demand for flights to Washington out of MSP, Peters said. Reagan National Airport is the 14th most popular destination out of MSP.

Delta said Wednesday that it is prepared for the added competition.

"Delta competes with other carriers across our network and at all of our hub airports," said Delta spokesman Trebor Banstetter in an e-mail. Banstetter said loyal customers fly Delta because of its global network of flights, amenities and service.

The added US Airways routes comes on the heels Spirit Airlines' announcement that it is coming to MSP in May. The ultra-low-cost carrier is expected to put some pricing pressure on Delta, as well as Southwest Airlines, which entered MSP in 2009.