Traditionally These Have Been Very Tough to Come By

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AirTran Airways Awarded Two Additional Slots for Service Between Atlanta and Washington D.C. by Department of Transportation
Source: Comtex News Network (Business Wire)

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AAI), today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) awarded the airline two slots at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for one additional roundtrip flight between Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Washington D.C.

AirTran Airways, one of America's largest low-fare airlines, filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation in January of this year for two new slots. AirTran Airways will now operate a total of six daily flights from Reagan National Airport, using 117-seat Boeing 717 aircraft, among the quietest aircraft in the world, which include a Business Class section and are among the most environmentally sound aircraft flying today.

Looks like AirTran has D.C. pretty well saturated with dozens of flights to Dulles, Reagan, as well as Baltimore/Washington International. I'm sure our Congressmen really appreciate the fare competition

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Ever wonder why these slots at Reagan are so hard to snag? An explanation from an article in the AJC on 4/2/04:

"The federal government restricts access to the airport to cut traffic congestion."

Ahhhh, the wonders of government bureaucracy