Las Vegas lands new D.C. flights

Benjamin Grove

Wednesday, July 5, 2000 | 11:13 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- The Department of Transportation today approved two new round-trip airline routes between Las Vegas and the nation's capital, further tapping a market of affluent East Coast visitors.

Nevada officials and the state's four members of Congress lobbied the DOT heavily for the new Las Vegas connection to Washington's Reagan National Airport. Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater personally called the delegation members today to tell them the news.

The DOT awarded Phoenix-based America West Airlines and Las Vegas-based National Airlines one round-trip each between Las Vegas and Washington.

"I think it's wonderful, it encourages healthy competition and provides service to those people on the East Coast who are anxious to come to Las Vegas," Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., said.

Congress last year agreed to add 24 takeoff and landing "slots" to the airport each day, in response to legislation introduced by Sens. Richard Bryan, D-Nev., and John McCain, R-Ariz. That set off a heated competition among the airlines for the coveted new slots: 19 carriers submitted proposals seeking 104 new slots, four times the number available.

National Airlines applied for six of the slots -- three round trips between Las Vegas and Washington. Phoenix-based America West wanted 10 slots -- five round trips between Washington and two Western cities: Phoenix and Las Vegas.

National officials said they were disappointed that they didn't get more.

"We are now looking to figure out how we start up a new city with just one round trip a day," National Airlines spokesman Dik Shimizu said. He said that the trip may not be cost effective given startup costs associated with training for a new route, ticket counter rental, landing fees and other costs.

America West officials were not available for comment earlier today.

According to the law that freed up the 24 new slots, only 12 could be for trips to and from airports farther than 1,250 miles from Washington. In addition to the four slots awarded to National Airlines and America West, America West also got four slots for trips to and from its hub in Phoenix; TWA got two slots for trips to and from Los Angeles; and Frontier Airlines got two slots for trips to and from Denver.

"It was very competitive," DOT spokesman Bill Mosley said. "In general, we looked to promote the best opportunity for competition and for carriers that would provide the best service to the greatest number of passengers."

Behind-the-scenes lobbying, as it often does in Washington, likely played a factor in the final slot decisions. Few decisions about new airline slots are made without political pressure, analysts say.

Nevada's vocal four-member delegation made impassioned pleas to Slater. Three talked to him personally and all sent letters stressing that Las Vegas is a fast-growing, tourist-driven city with desperate need for new flights.

Bryan, who along with Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., had also spoken to White House Chief of Staff John Podesta on the issue, on Friday called Slater again, making a final plea.

The lobbying work "has to help," Bryan said. "Clearly the merits were with us."

Reid hinted that President Clinton's administration owed Nevada close consideration.

"Las Vegas is a rapidly growing area," Reid said. "On the merits, we deserved this. On the politics, we deserved this. We've worked closely with the administration on a number of issues."

Bryan and Reid said that Las Vegas did well to capture four of the 12 slots available to Western destinations.

"Las Vegas did better than any other city," Bryan said. "It was the only city that got two round trips awarded to two different airlines."

"I'm happy as a lark," Reid said. "I'm happy with what we got."

Rep. Jim Gibbons, R-Nev., who also had lobbied for Las Vegas, said in a statement, "I commend all those involved who helped secure these vital slots and offer my continued support for increased air passenger service to the great state of Nevada."