US Airways Requests Authority for First Ever Non-stop Flight From Washington, D.C. Reagan National Airport to Akron-Canton Airport
	Carrier files US Department of Transportation requesting slots
Akron-Canton Airport (CAK) has a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain non-stop service to Washington, D.C.'s Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA), whose capacity is restricted by the U.S. government. US Airways has requested two slots be assigned to them allowing for a single round trip flight. The slots will be assigned by the U.S. Department of Transportation by the end of the year. This is a strategic chance for the airport and the region, one that the airport has been working on for more than a decade. DCA slots rarely come available and competition for them is often fierce. "We have never been this close," said Richard B. McQueen, President & CEO of Akron-Canton Airport. "Washington D.C. is our number one requested destination and US Airways is the perfect partner to fly the route. US Airways provides excellent service to our community and we are delighted that they have selected Akron-Canton for this very valuable opportunity. If awarded, we will do everything we can to support it." US Airways currently offers CAK customers five round trip flights to their Charlotte, North Carolina hub and two to their Philadelphia, Pennsylvania hub. The slots were originally made available under the guidelines of AIR-21/ vision 100, a comprehensive air transportation bill passed in 2000. According to Howard Kass, Managing Director and Associate General Counsel for US Airways, Inc., "AIR-21 awards are fundamentally about small community access to DCA, and for a small community like Akron-Canton, it is about first-ever non-stop access to DCA." US Airways has a long history (more than 40 years) with the airport. Akron-Canton travelers will benefit with the non-stop route to Washington D.C. and be able to take advantage of the excellent connection opportunities offered by US Airways at DCA. The airline will fly a comfortable CRJ-200 on the route. At this time, there is no non-stop flight to any Washington D.C. metropolitan airport from CAK. This flight is vital to the many business and community leaders who need to reach our nation's capital but simply cannot because no flight is offered from CAK, a small community airport. Dan Colantone, President and CEO of the Greater Akron Chamber adds, "This service is critical to our efforts to advance Greater Akron. Our ability to directly and conveniently link with leaders in Washington D.C. is more important than ever as we need to weigh in on the important issues that affect business development and ultimately the economic vitality in our region." Additionally, Dennis Saunier, President and CEO of the Canton Regional Chamber said, "This type of strategic and desirable air service helps our growing businesses attract talented workers to our community. The addition of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport would be a huge advantage, helping us recruit even more young people back to the Canton region."