The U.S. Department of Transportation has given Southwest Airlines the right to fly from Houston Hobby to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, the first flights between those two airports, the DOT said yesterday.

“Southwest’s service will provide air travelers with a new, low-cost option when they fly between DCA and HOU,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said.

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins called the new route “another important plank in our platform of building up the Houston market,” along with new service to other cities and construction of an international terminal set to open in 2015.
Houston is “an original angle on the Texas triangle and it’s continuing to position us for future opportunities,” Hawkins said.
The two Washington National operating slots — good for one takeoff and one landing — became available when Spirit Airlines dropped its FLL service to DCA and moved its service to BWI

In winning the slots, Southwest beat out US Airways, which had applied for the right to fly from OKC-DCA, and JetBlue Airways, which had sought rights to fly JAX-DCA.

Houston currently has service into Washington National from George Bush Houston Intercontinental Airport, flown by United Airlines in a route it inherited in the Continental Airlines merger.
Southwest must begin the service by 8/5/13.