Las Vegas in running for D.C. flight

Monday, Nov. 24, 2003 | 11:07 a.m.

WASHINGTON -- It's now up to the Transportation Department and major airlines to decide if Las Vegas' McCarran International Airport will receive a new direct flight from Washington, D.C., thanks to the Senate's approval of a bill.

The Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization conference report, approved by the Senate on Friday, says that the Transportation Department has to consider adding slots at Ronald Reagan National Airport in the nation's capital to accommodate 12 more city flight destinations. The cities are not specifically noted and are left to the department's discretion.

Flights to and from Reagan National have been restricted to within a 1,250-mile perimeter of the airport since 1986, with special exemptions authorized by the Department of Transportation for flights beyond that perimeter beginning in 2000. Currently, there are 12 exemptions, or six round-trips authorized beyond the perimeter.

There is no guarantee Las Vegas will receive a new slot, since airlines would compete for the new routes, as determined by the Transportation Department.