Southwest Airlines (WN, Dallas Love Field) has been awarded two slot exemptions by the US Department of Transportation allowing it to operate a new daily Houston Hobby - Washington National flight. The DoT said the service will be the first non-stop service from Houston’s William P. Hobby Airport to Reagan National and will help foster airline competition in the Reagan National-Houston market where currently only United Airlines (UA, Chicago O'Hare) provides flights, albeit to Houston Intercontinental. The slot exemptions became available when Spirit Airlines (NK, Fort Lauderdale International) moved its Washington area service from Reagan National to Baltimore International and returned the two slot exemptions that it had been using to serve Fort Lauderdale International. Also applying for the exemptions at Reagan National were US Airways (Phoenix Sky Harbor), which proposed service to Oklahoma City Will Rogers World, and JetBlue Airways (B6, New York JFK), which proposed service to Jacksonville International, FL.