Following an approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Alaska will soon offer the only nonstop service between San Diego International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
- For nearly 40 years, we’ve proudly served San Diego with the exceptional and caring service that we’re known for. From DCA, we’ve connected our guests to the country’s capital city since 2001 and today offer nonstop service from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Daily year round service will seamlessly connect our guests between the nation’s capital and one of our key West Coast hubs
Alaska Airlines is proud to announce new nonstop service between San Diego International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), becoming the only airline to offer this direct route and enhance connectivity to the nation’s capital. Tickets will soon be available for purchase on www.alaskaair.com.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Transportation approved our application as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act of 2024 to operate roundtrip service between San Diego and DCA. For nearly 40 years, we’ve proudly served San Diego with the exceptional and caring service that we’re known for. We’ve connected our guests to DCA since 2001 and today offer nonstop service from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Schedule details:
Effective March 17: SAN to DCA departs at 2:10 p.m. and arrives at 9:55 p.m.
Effective March 18: DCA to SAN departs at 8:00 a.m. and arrives at 10:35 a.m.
The inaugural flight departs San Diego on March 17, launching daily, year-round service with schedules designed for our guests’ convenience. Flights from San Diego will depart at 2:10 p.m., arriving in Washington, D.C., at 9:55 p.m., while return flights from DCA begin March 18, departing at 8 a.m. and landing in San Diego at 10:35 a.m.
We extend our gratitude to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration for approving our application, making Alaska Airlines the only carrier to offer this nonstop route from SAN to the nation’s capital.
Updated on Dec. 23, 2024 at 4 p.m. PT
“We are pleased the DOT sees the value of Alaska providing direct service between San Diego and DCA, and we thank the many leaders, local businesses and organizations who supported our bid. This new route reflects our commitment to San Diego, home of the nation’s largest miliary community, and offers our guests a seamless travel option to our nation’s capital.”
Ben Minicucci, Alaska Airlines CEO
As the carrier with the most nonstop destinations from San Diego, Alaska will offer 40 nonstop destinations and more than 70 peak-day departures when our new service to DCA begins. Together with our Global Partners, we offer one-stop service from San Diego International Airport (SAN) to more than 330 destinations.* Currently, SAN has the greatest number of passengers of any U.S. airport without service to DCA. Whether you’re flying nonstop or catching a connecting a flight at SAN, www.alaskaair.com has options for what works best for you: you can book flights on 22 partner airlines or redeem Mileage Plan miles, all on our site.
“Today is a great day for the San Diego Region with the announcement of a new, nonstop flight to Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport. This flight will further connect our growing defense, research and innovation economies to our leaders in the Capitol. Securing this flight was a team effort by our partners from Alaska Airlines, the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority, and our congressional delegation. I especially want to thank U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker for selecting San Diego as one of the five new DCA flight slot recipients.”
Todd Gloria, San Diego Mayor
We are very pleased Alaska Airlines has received approval to begin nonstop service between San Diego International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. San Diego has been the largest origin-destination market without service to Reagan National Airport and it has significant defense, biotech, and communications technology sectors that require efficient access to the core of the national capital region. This new nonstop route will greatly enhance the connectivity between these two strategic regions for business and our leisure passengers.”
Kimberly J. Becker, President and CEO, San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
Alaska’s elevated travel experience offers a blend of comfort and caring service for a seamless journey, including no change fees, the most legroom in First Class* and Premium Class, satellite Wi-Fi and the most generous Mileage Plan with the fastest path to elite status. Savor the best of West Coast-inspired food and beverages, including complimentary snacks and chef-curated meals. With access to Alaska Lounge locations for members and First Class guests on flights more than 2,000 miles, you can unwind in ultimate comfort before take-off.
Building off our newest Lounge in San Francisco, we’re set to nearly double our footprint in 3 years. We recently announced a plan to continue expanding our Lounge program, including in San Diego and Honolulu, followed by a new world-class Lounge in Seattle to support international service. We’ll begin with an expanded Anchorage Lounge early next year and open our new Portland Lounge in 2026.
In September, we began adding more Premium Class seating across our mainline fleet, including our 900ERs, 800s and MAX9s. We plan to increase our 737-800 First Class seats from 12 to 16 to make it easy for our guests to upgrade and meet the demand for premium seating. In First Class, our new premium seating will provide a calf rest, new seatback device holder, 6-way headrest with neck support and USB-C charging capabilities. In our 737-800 Main Cabin and Premium Class, guests will continue to experience comfort and convenience at every seat with improved features, including new device holders with built in cup holders, USB-C charging and a 6-way headrest with dedicated neck support.
*Peak-day AS+HA departures and YE1H25 destinations as of 12/16/24. Global Partner connecting destinations available round-trip on 12/19/24 (representative day) as of 12/16/24.
**Out of any U.S. legacy airline excluding lie-flat seats
