Delta is Canceling Washington Reagan to Salt Lake City in Favor of Los Angeles

Yesterday, Delta airlines filed a letter to the department of transportation to swap their existing Washington Reagan to Salt Lake City service for Washington Reagan to Los Angeles (LAX), effective April, 2017. For some background, due to slot restrictions at Reagan, only so many planes can go beyond the 1,250 mile perimeter rule daily. This means any of the slots that can go beyond the perimeter rule are essentially “coveted” routes.

Here’s a snippet of the letter Delta sent to the DOT:

Delta currently operates 2 non-stops daily to Salt Lake City from Washington Reagan – one in the morning, and one in the evening. With this new slot swap, they’ll join American and Alaska on the non-stop LAX route. This should bring the total of non-stop flights from Reagan to LAX up to 5.

With Washington Reagan being my closest airport, this will be a nice option for flights to LAX. I usually avoid the American flights from DCA because their often filled up, and upgrade chances are slim to non, and instead choose to fly out of Dulles where the seat selection is almost always better, and there’s a good chance at an upgrade, especially when booking in advance. This Delta option will provide a good alternative though if schedule is an issue for me.

Hat Tip: Joe Sent Me