Press Releases

BATON ROUGE, LA – The inaugural American Airlines nonstop flight to Washington Reagan National Airport departed the Baton Rouge Metro Airport (BTR) at 5:42 a.m. today with a 9:20 a.m. scheduled arrival in Washington. The return portion of the daily, nonstop service departs Washington at 7:52 p.m. and arrives in Baton Rouge at 9:41 p.m. The flights are operated with 76-seat Embraer 175 jets configured with first and main cabin seating.  

“This nonstop flight from Baton Rouge to Washington D.C. is monumental for our city and region. Connecting the capital of Louisiana with our nation’s capital will stimulate more tourists and business travelers to fly directly into Baton Rouge,” said Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome. “This service has also been long sought by business, government, and leisure travelers in the Baton Rouge area. It will elevate our economic development at home and enhance our impact in the nation’s capital.”

“American is excited to connect Baton Rouge Metro Airport to Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport with daily flights to our nation’s capital,” said Philippe Puech, American Airlines Director of Domestic Network Planning. “This new route complements our existing service from BTR to Charlotte and Dallas/Fort Worth. We now offer customers more ways to experience all that Louisiana has to offer and provide local residents with additional access to American’s global network.”

“We cannot thank the American Airlines team enough for their commitment to the Baton Rouge Metro Airport and Baton Rouge community,” said Baton Rouge Metro Airport Director of Aviation, Mike Edwards, noting the importance of the new route, particularly since Reagan National Airport is a “slot-restricted” airport. “We appreciate the confidence American Airlines has in our market by using these coveted slots to provide us with Washington nonstop service. It is critical that we as a community support the flights to confirm that American made the right decision in this route investment.”  

Securing the new direct flight was made possible through a partnership between the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport and the Baton Rouge Area Chamber.

“We are proud to have been part of the team recruiting a new nonstop flight from BTR to DCA,” said Adam Knapp, Baton Rouge Area Chamber president & CEO. “Expanding our direct flight routes has been a BRAC priority for many years, and surveys to our investors have consistently shown that direct flights to D.C. yield high interest from locals. Businesses should support this new direct flight from American by encouraging all their employees’ to take this direct flight for their D.C. travel as much as possible.”

In addition to the Washington Reagan flight, American Airlines provides nonstop BTR flights to its Dallas-Ft. Worth and Charlotte hubs. American has the most flights and top passenger share among the airlines serving BTR. Learn more about flight options at the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport at flybtr.com.

About BTR

The Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport is the second largest airport in Louisiana based on passenger volume, and currently contributes $1.1 billion and 4,500 jobs to the local economy. While the airport is a major economic generator for the Baton Rouge area, it is administered as an Enterprise Fund, generating its own revenues for operations as opposed to receiving local tax funds.

About American Airlines Group

To Care for People on Life’s Journey®. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL and the company’s stock is included in the S&P 500. Learn more about what’s happening at American by visiting news.aa.com and connect with American on Twitter @AmericanAir and at Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines.

BTR Media Contact: Jim Caldwell

Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport

jcaldwell@brla.gov

Phone 225-355-0333