D.C. service for MacArthur Airport?

For the first time in a decade, Long Island may soon have direct flights to Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, Tom Chapman, US Airways' vice president for government affairs, said service between Long Island MacArthur Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport "is under active consideration" now that a federal agency has approved a slot swap deal with Delta Air Lines.

"Long Island is a big market, and Islip's smack in the middle of it. It absolutely makes business sense for us," he said.

Shuttle service to Washington from Long Island stopped when the D.C. airport restricted flights after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, MacArthur officials said.

In 2009, US Airways announced it was considering a daily D.C.-to-Long Island round-trip shuttle service, pending approval of a takeoff and landing slot swap with Delta.

The U.S. Department of Transportation approved that deal two weeks ago, and Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) this week wrote US Airways' chief executive Doug Parker, urging the airline to follow through and expand service at MacArthur.

Chapman said while DOT approval of the slot swap was key, the carriers still need Port Authority approval, which is expected after Thanksgiving. It is hoped the Department of Justice, which is investigating the deal, would soon conclude its inquiries.

"Our interest has not changed," Chapman said. "We just need to make sure everything lines up so that we can make it happen."

In his letter, Schumer notes the growing challenge of parkway traffic, and he pinpoints demographic information that suggests Long Island is growing eastward, with the largest population growth in the region around MacArthur.

“I am confident the densely populated middle-class communities of Suffolk and Eastern Nassau counties constitute a major growth area for your airline and your expansion there would provide a ‘hassle-free’ alternative to the congested New York City airports for millions of Long Islanders,” Schumer wrote.

Islip Town Supervisor Phil Nolan said the service would be a boon for MacArthur, which has worked hard to attract more commercial service, as well as for US Airways. "These flights will be very successful and will lead, in turn, to more direct flights at MacArthur Airport," Nolan said.

US Airways represents between 6 percent and 7 percent of overall passenger numbers out of MacArthur, officials said, but airport commissioner Teresa Rizzuto said the airline was "disproportionately important to us because of their overall commitment to the airport.

"They have been here for five decades, and I'm optimistic the airport, together with US Airways, will benefit from this additional growth."