WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) released the following statement on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) announcement that a new direct flight route between San Antonio and Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport serviced by Texas-based American Airlines has been officially established:

“As a San Antonio native and staunch advocate of Texas’ airline industry, I am pleased that the DOT has finalized a direct route between San Antonio and the District of Columbia,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Serviced by DFW-based American Airlines, this new direct route will open up new opportunities for Texans in ‘Military City, USA’ and our nation’s capital, and I am pleased to see it come to fruition.”

Background:

In May, Sen. Cornyn voted in favor of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act, now law, which included a range of reforms to improve public safety, efficiency, and consumer confidence and allowed for a direct route from San Antonio to Washington, D.C.

In July, Sen. Cornyn joined Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX), Representative Chip Roy (TX-21), Representative Joaquin Castro (TX-20), and others in sending a letter urging Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to allocate San Antonio International Airport (SAT) one of the new long-haul, round-trip flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) allowed for in the FAA reauthorization legislation.

In October, DOT announced plans to establish a new direct flight route between San Antonio and Washington D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport to be serviced by Texas-based American Airlines.