A nonstop flight to Dallas or Houston has been on the top of the Rhode Island Airport Corporation’s wish list for years, and it looks like it will be there at least for the foreseeable future.

But with Southwest’s announcement Friday, another “target” destination will get additional service this fall.

The airline will start two daily flights to Washington’s Ronald Reagan National Airport beginning Nov. 6. American Airlines provides service to Reagan with six flights daily, but as Southwest’s managing director of network planning Adam Decaire pointed out, Southwest will be offering some especially attractive introductory fares as low as $49. The American fare as advertised on the Internet Monday is $284 one way.

“They’re actually low,” Decaire said of the fares. “You’ll see how low they are now.”

What about Texas? Is there the possibility of a Southwest direct flight to Dallas?

Southwest is based in Dallas, and it would seem the airline could easily extend service to the airport and the international connections it offers. Not so, says Decaire.

“We’re limited to how many flights we can put in and out of Dallas,” he said.

The number of gates is limited and, as Decaire explained, the airlines must look at its entire network in opening additional service to Dallas. A longer runway at Green won’t have an impact. Southwest could operate nonstop service to Dallas now.

“The length of runway is not affecting us on Dallas,” he said. “We’re going to put planes where the people are.”

Southwest has had a 20-year relationship with Green, rapidly ascending to the airport’s major carrier after initiating service in October 1996. Southwest’s low-cost fares helped make Green the fastest growing airport in the country, requiring RIAC to build additional gates and enlarge the terminal.

The days of double-digit growth in Green passenger traffic month over month are long gone. In fact, since a high of 5.7 million passengers in 2005, the airport has struggled to keep from slipping further. Passenger traffic for 2015 was 3.5 million, virtually unchanged from the prior year.

While not on the top of the wish list, Southwest service to Reagan is all about offering more options to the public. Depending on the time of year, Southwest is currently flying six to nine flights daily to Baltimore/Washington. That airport is a hub for Southwest service to other parts of the country.

Decaire sees Baltimore and Reagan as “complementary markets,” although both serve the Washington area. The airline will be flying Boeing 737s that have 143 or 175 seats depending on the model.

“They’re never going to be obsolete,” Decaire says of the aircraft that make up the Southwest fleet.

Mayor Scott Avedisian hailed the additional service, saying, “This is exactly what we’ve been working on for years.” He said the airport is looking to provide more destinations and that “it all adds to the travel experience.”

RIAC board chair Jonathan Savage said the new service will be a plus to the state’s defense industry contractors. He thanked Southwest “for showing such confidence in us.”

Savage also pointed out while other airports across the country are experiencing security clearance delays, that’s not the case at Green, and that Conde Nast ranked Green Airport “the third best airport in the nation.”

He said this all adds up to “how easy it is to transact business here.”