From The Mississippi Link Newswire
BOLTON – Congressman Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) said the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has granted US Airways the temporary authority to operate nonstop service from Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers International Airport (JAN) to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA).
Delta Airlines, the only carrier currently offering direct service from Jackson, Mississippi to Washington, D.C., recently announced that it will terminate its nonstop service on March 2, 2012. Shortly after Delta’s announcement, US Airways petitioned USDOT to begin servicing the Jackson to Washington route beginning on March 4, 2012 on an interim basis.
Thompson and officials from the Jackson Municipal Airport Authority met with Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to discuss the JAN-DCA route and its importance to Mississippi and Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers.
“After meeting with Secretary Ray LaHood, Jackson Municipal Airport Authority officials and I felt confident that the temporary authority to operate the flight would be given to US Airways,” said Thompson. “This nonstop flight to the nation’s capital is extremely important to economic development in Mississippi and the flight will also provide a welcomed financial benefit to Jackson-Medgar Wiley Evers. I am extremely pleased that Secretary LaHood immediately followed through on the commitment that he made to airport officials and me by granting the temporary extension.”
In 2004, USDOT awarded Delta the use flight “slots” at DCA to exclusively fly the DCA-JAN route.
Under the terms of agreement with the USDOT, Delta could not sell or otherwise dispose of the slots. If Delta were to cease the DCA-JAN service, the slots would be returned to the USDOT which would initiate a carrier selection proceeding to redistribute the slots to a new carrier and/or destination.
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