- A bipartisan group of lawmakers want major flight changes at Reagan National Airport in Virginia.
- Many lawmakers want to see the 1,250-mile perimeter restriction for round-trip flights relaxed.
- But some members of Congress argue that Reagan National is already under immense strain.
Dozens of federal lawmakers are pushing for 28 additional round-trip flights from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) to destinations across the country, arguing new flights from the airport will boost tourism, lower airfare costs, and create additional jobs.
But members of Congress also have a huge personal motivation for increasing the number of flights at Reagan National: the location.
Reagan National, located right across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia, is only minutes away from Capitol Hill by car — and can usually be reached in a timely manner on the Washington Metro system from downtown DC.
The prime location makes Reagan National the preferred airport for most lawmakers, but any route alterations would require changing a law which currently blocks long-haul flights of over 1,250 miles to or from the airport. Because of the rule, many lawmakers use the two other major Washington-area airports — Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) or Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) — which are futher from the halls of Congress than Reagan National.
And many lawmakers are seeking to relax the rule at Reagan National, with Delta Air Lines leading a lobbying push to tweak the regulation as part of a five-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to The New York Times.
Democratic Sen. Jon Tester of Montana, who has served in the upper chamber since 2007, told The Times that his commute from his home state to Washington was “a pain.”
Tester told the newspaper that he “absolutely would be in favor” of new destinations outside of the 1,250-mile perimeter, but added that he would have to view the details of any legislation before he threw his support behind it.
To get to the nation’s capitol, Tester told The Times that he drives 90 miles from his Montana farm to Great Falls International Airport in Great Falls, Montana. From there, he has a layover in Denver, Minneapolis, or Salt Lake City before arriving in Washington DC.
Rep. Blake Moore of Utah told The Times that the creation of additional nonstop flights at Reagan National beyond the perimeter limit would provide a jolt to tourism in his home state. But he also spoke of the difficulty of relying on one daily direct flight to head back to Salt Lake City to see his children before their bedtimes.
“We need more direct flights out of DCA,” the GOP lawmaker told the newspaper.
But some members from Maryland and Virginia aren’t convinced that the perimeter rule should be changed, arguing that Reagan National is already operating with heavy traffic and a high baggage volume.
Democratic Rep. Abigail Spanberger of Virginia, who represents a district anchored in the suburbs of Washington DC, said in a statement to The Times that Reagan National “already has the busiest runway in the country.”
“I’m also concerned in the wake of a recent F.A.A. analysis that found that more long-haul flights at DCA would throw the airport’s operational performance out of balance,” she continued.
Unlike Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines have lined up against the perimeter rule change, according to The Times, with the latter two carriers arguing that any added flights would trigger additional delays.
Delta — which only has a 14{1652eb1ffa4184925f6a63a9c04ea6b421acb7a78117241e7d4325cdca8339fa} market share at Reagan National — is looking to initiate or ramp up service to Austin, Texas; Salt Lake City; and Seattle, according to an analysis commissioned by the airline.