116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
American begins direct flights from Cedar Rapids to D.C.
Service started today, with second flight coming in September
CEDAR RAPIDS — The first American Airlines direct flight to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., left the Cedar Rapids airport on Thursday morning.
“This is the culmination of work that started years ago,” Marty Lenss, director of The Eastern Iowa Airport said. “In the past five years, we have stepped up those efforts to bring D.C. service here, and we are so happy American Airlines was willing to invest in Eastern Iowa.”
Initially, the one daily flight will leave Cedar Rapids at 10:40 a.m., arriving in the nation’s capital just before 2 p.m. The return flight will leave D.C. at 8:30 a.m., arriving in Cedar Rapids at 10:05 a.m.
American Airlines is using a CRJ900 aircraft with 76 seats, and Thursday’s first flight out of CID was full, and the flight to Cedar Rapids had almost 60 people, according to an airport news release.
A second flight will be added Sept. 6. It will leave Cedar Rapids at 6:20 a.m., arriving at Reagan at 9:35 a.m., and departing Washington at 8:05 p.m., arriving at 9:44 p.m. in Cedar Rapids.
Lenss said it is important to get the word out now about this second flight to show the popularity of a direct flight to the nation’s capital, with direct connections to other popular destination.
“American’s winter schedule is not yet finalized, so Eastern Iowa needs to show American how important and popular the DCA nonstop is so the second departure will remain in the schedule,” Lenss said.
The Cedar Rapids airport (CID), with 17 nonstop destinations on five airlines, is the largest airport within a 90-minute drive for 38 percent of Iowa’s population.
“Several of the state’s largest cities, and fastest-growing cities, are located in the CID region,” Lenss said. “In order for CID to maintain and grow air service, it is vital the region flies CID for both business and leisure.”
Julie Rath, senior vice president of airport operations for American Airlines, said American is the largest airline at Reagan (DCA), with 247 daily flights.
For more information, go to FlyCID.com.
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