Some unlikely allies are slapping one another’s backs this week as San Antonio appears poised to finally get the direct flight to Washington D.C. that local and federal leaders say is sorely needed for the region’s large military community.
Legislation the U.S. House approved Wednesday — part of a larger bill reauthorizing the Federal Aviation Administration until 2028 — adds five new direct flight slots out of Reagan National Airport (DCA).
For San Antonio to get one of them, an airline must still apply and designate San Antonio International Airport as its destination, then be selected by the FAA. American Airlines announced plans to apply for one, in partnership with the airport, on Wednesday.
But local and federal leaders consider those steps largely formalities in a battle the city has been fighting for more than a decade, and required some unusual coordination between officials who normally don’t see eye-to-eye.
“I think the odds are extremely high [that San Antonio gets one of the spots],” Sen. Ted Cruz said in an interview earlier this month. “I had been absolutely explicit that this is being done with a direct eye to having a direct flight from San Antonio to D.C. Reagan.”
As the highest-ranking Republican on the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, Cruz got the language on the new flights included at the 11th hour this month, after nearly a year of back-and-forth on the bill.
Direct flights going in and out of Reagan National Airport (DCA) are limited by federal law — something lawmakers who represent the D.C. area work fiercely to maintain when the FAA reauthorization comes up every five years.
The result is that the airport is available almost exclusively to short-range flights, while passengers coming from further away have to lengthen their trips with either a connecting flight or a commute from a larger airport in Maryland or Virginia.
To make San Antonio’s case against some tough opponents, the city had a congressional delegation that’s not known for its close relationships with House and Senate leadership, and frequently doesn’t agree, even on issues of local importance.
But those lawmakers found rare unity on the idea that San Antonio, with its major military installations and high veteran population, needs a direct flight to D.C. for defense professionals. And when the opportunity presented itself, nearly everyone had a role to play.
The making of the bill
When the FAA reauthorization came before the House last summer, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-San Antonio) cosponsored an amendment that would have allowed seven new slots to DCA.
In a rare team-up, Bexar County’s entire House delegation — U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-San Antonio), Henry Cuellar (D-Laredo), Greg Casar (D-Austin), Chip Roy (R-Dripping Springs) and Gonzales signed a letter of support drafted by Roy.
Gonzales and Roy come from warring factions of the GOP and their feuds over immigration and foreign aid have devolved into name-calling in recent months. Casar and Castro, meanwhile, are some of the House’s most liberal members. Only one of San Antonio’s five congressmen, Cuellar, supported a bipartisan spending package to keep the government open in March.
“It has been one of those areas that is completely nonpartisan… where we could kind of rally around together as a delegation regardless of party,” said Roy, who was spotted working particularly close with Castro throughout the process.
In the Republican controlled-House, even getting Gonzales’ amendment to be considered took some maneuvering, according to Roy, who serves on the Rules Committee that determines which amendments make it to the floor.
Once it was there, “It was a team effort, whipping and working votes, and we got closer than it had ever gotten before,” Roy recalled of the amendment, which failed a 229-205 vote, amid opposition from United Airlines, which has a monopoly on direct flights out of Dulles Airport in Northern Virginia.
“We got a real sizable vote in favor of it… and we were able to use that to help the Senate,” Roy said.
The FAA Reauthorization moved through Cruz’s committee in the Senate, where the Texas Republican says he added in language for additional slots.
“The provision I drafted — to add five new slots so that San Antonio can get a direct flight to Reagan — passed out of the Commerce Committee unanimously,” said Cruz, who has been branding himself as a bipartisan dealmaker ahead of a tough reelection race this year. “[It] earned the support of every Republican every member Democrat on the committee.”
That move drew praise from Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who took to social media thanking Cruz and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) last week.
“San Antonio is one step closer to the direct flight we’ve long sought and needed!” Nirenberg wrote. “Our local advocacy efforts won’t stop until we deliver this flight for our airport.”
On Wednesday, the bill came back to the House where it was approved with a 387-26 vote. It now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk.
Landing the plane
Now that Congress has done its part, the lawmakers, especially the Democrats will need to keep lobbying, when power ping-pongs over to the Biden Administration.
“When the rubber hits the tarmac, it’s going to be helpful to have those Democrat voices like Castro and Cuellar … lobbying the Biden Administration,” said a senior Republican aide working for a Texan on Capitol Hill.
The bill Congress passed says that new slots must go to cities that don’t already have a direct flight to D.C., and that priority should also go to cities that will see “a positive impact on the overall level of competition in the markets that will be served as a result.”
But San Antonio joins a number of other cities, including San Diego, that would qualify. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will make the final selection of airlines and destinations.
“We worked a lot of things to get to where we’re at today … but the impact is enormous,” said Jesus Saenz, director of airports for the City of San Antonio, who was in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday meeting with officials and airlines about the bill.
If approved by Buttigieg, American Airlines could begin offering a nonstop flight from SAT to DCA by the end of the summer, Saenz said. The Fort Worth-based airliner has committed to submitting a new DCA flight package for San Antonio only, he added.
Shari Biediger contributed to this report.
Correction: This story has been updated to correctly state that Buttigieg is responsible for the selections.
