GRAND RAPIDS, MI -- West Michigan airline passengers can now book flights directly from Grand Rapids to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington D.C.
The new nonstop service via American Eagle, the regional branch of American Airlines, was announced Monday, Dec. 5, by the airline and staff at Gerald R. Ford International Airport.
"Nonstop service to Reagan National Airport has been a target market of ours, and we are happy to have this route added for both our leisure and business travelers headed to the Washington D.C. area," said Phil Johnson, the airport's interim president and chief executive officer.
The airline plans to begin service on April 4, 2017, and feature 12 weekly round trips between Grand Rapids and the nation's capital.
The change was alluded to last week as an exciting new development by Jim Gill, the airport's incoming president and CEO, though Gill admitted he deserves no credit for the news.
The new route means Grand Rapids has grown to provide nonstop service to 24 airports across the country.
"We are confident that our West Michigan community will support this service as we continue to expand our route map with American Airlines," Johnson said.
The airport already provided nonstop service to Dulles International Airport in Washington D.C. via United Airlines.
But the new route provides easier access to the city center. Reagan National is located along the Potomac River near downtown D.C., while Dulles is in Virginia about 27 miles west of the city.
The flight schedule for the new service includes twice-daily departure times from Grand Rapids, at 7:20 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Sunday through Friday, and a single departure at 9:40 a.m. on Saturdays.
Service departing Reagan National and returning to Grand Rapids is also twice daily, at 10 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Sunday through Friday and with a single 4 p.m. departure time on Saturdays.
American Airlines has provided service in and out of Gerald R. Ford International Airport for more than 25 years. The airline also offers nonstop service from Grand Rapids to Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, Dallas/Fort Worth, Charlotte and Philadelphia.
With 2.5 million passengers in 2015, more than 120 daily nonstop flights and more than 7,000 travelers passing through each day, Grand Rapids' airport is the second busiest in Michigan behind Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It is managed and operated by the Gerald R. Ford International Airport Authority.
As the authority's new president and CEO prepares to move to Grand Rapids from his current position at Pittsburgh's Allegheny County Airport Authority, Gill said he is grateful to be taking the helm of a growing facility.
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has grown steadily since 2009, breaking its own passenger record with 2.5 million passengers in 2015. That same year, it was named the top airport of its size in the region by Airports Council International.
The airport's future plans include opening the Airport Viewing Park this spring. Additionally, the Gateway Transformation Project is scheduled to complete Phase One in summer 2017.
The ongoing projects at the airport illustrate the encouraging growth trajectory of the facility and surrounding region, Gill said.
The new CEO replaces former executive director Brian Ryks, who announced his resignation in March and started work as executive director and CEO of the Metropolitan Airports Commission in Minneapolis/St. Paul earlier this year.
