American Airlines drops DC flights as part of merger deal

American Airlines announced on Wednesday that it was eliminating flights from Washington, D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport to 17 cities as part of deal with the Department of Justice to allow its merger with US Airways.

The Justice Department required the airlines to give up the flights in exchange for dropping its lawsuit to block the merger between American and US Air.

The agency said it would allow low cost airlines like Southwest Airlines to bid in a lottery for the vacated flights.

US Air and American were required to give up flights from Reagan Airport to 35 other destinations, as well as additional flights at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

American said on Wednesday that it was eliminating flights to: Augusta, Ga.; Detroit, Mich.; Fayetteville, N.C.; Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Islip, N.Y.; Jacksonville, N.C.; Little Rock, Ark.; Minneapolis, Minn.; Montreal; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Nassau, Bahamas; Omaha, Neb.; Pensacola, Fla.; San Diego, Calif.; Savannah, Ga.; Tallahassee, Fla. and Wilmington, N.C.