Southwest Airlines will purchase fellow low-cost carrier AirTran for a tidy $1.42 billion plus AirTrans's sizable debt, according to a report by the Associated Press. Southwest, which is already the country's largest air carrier based on number of passengers, is making the move primarily to compete with Delta in Atlanta (the one major section of the country where Southwest currently doesn't fly), but the merger will definitely create some waves in the Washington, D.C. area. more ›

JetBlue this week announced that its new flights out of National Airport, which are expected to begin in November, will service just three cities: Boston, Orlando and Ft. Lauderdale. It's good news for those of you who travel to Boston or Florida frequently, but to be honest, we had kinda been hoping for more. more ›

JetBlue announced today that it will start serving National Airport later this year. The airline already serves the D.C. area's other two airports, BWI and Dulles. more ›

No-frills flight purveyor Southwest Airlines has been hoping to move in to DCA for a long time now, but deals between other airlines on landing and takeoff slots have thus far prevented them from going forward. Now, as the Post reports, they're asking the feds to get involved:

On Monday, the low-cost, Texas-based carrier asked the U.S. Department of Transportation to force US Airways and Delta Air Lines to auction off 14 landing and takeoff slots at the airport to the highest bidder in a public sale.

The airfield at National Airport reopened for flight operations as of 11 a.m. this morning, according to a message on its web site. more ›

WTOP's Hank Silverberg reports that the flight schedule in and out of Reagan National Airport is returning to normalcy this morning after a pipe burst yesterday, flooding Terminal C. US Airways, which operates in the affected terminal, resumed flights at 10 a.m. -- but long lines and waits are to be expected due to the backlog created by the shutdown last night. Silverberg notes that it took a hundred people working through the night to clean up the mess caused by the flooding; all complicated by the fact that electricity to the terminal was shut off throughout the evening. Those flying in and out of DCA today -- especially on US Airways -- are encouraged to call (the US Airways hotline: 800-428-4322) and double-check on the status of potential delays. more ›

A few of us have been drooling over this latest All You Can Jet promotion from Jet Blue. The deal offers nearly unlimited Jet Blue flights for an entire month, from Sept. 8 to Oct. 8, for only $599, including all domestic taxes and fees (international and Puerto Rico flights are a little extra). There are a few restrictions of course, like that you have to book each ticket three days in advance, and you can only book one flight per city per day, but still, it's a pretty amazing deal. If only those pesky little things called our day jobs didn't prevent us from taking full advantage. But isn't this the most amazing gift you could give your friend or loved one who recently got laid off? Especially if you pooled together some cash between a group of mutual friends. The All You Can Jet passes are on sale through Friday, August 21, or while supplies last. more ›