Push to add new long-haul flights at Reagan National shifts to Senate
Samantha-Jo Roth
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Support on Capitol Hill is growing to increase the number of long-distance flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.
Sens. Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) are teaming up to introduce a bill that would permit more airlines to offer more routes where currently federal rules allow only a handful of flights to operate beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter.
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The bill in the Senate is similar to one Reps. Burgess Owens (R-UT) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) introduced earlier this month that would allow airlines to offer more long-distance service out of Reagan and 28 more flights daily.
At issue is the perimeter rule, which limits the number of flights that travel more than 1,250 from DCA. Both Reagan and Dulles International Airport are owned by the federal government, which means Congress can decide how they operate. Over the years, lawmakers have carved out exemptions to allow a small number of flights at the airport that are beyond the 1,250-mile limit.
Lummis argues a change is needed to better serve her constituents in Wyoming, who she said are the “most underserved in the continental United States.”
“Our nation’s capital should be easily accessible for all Americans, and it’s a shame that the barriers to access the city are often too much for people in Wyoming and out west to overcome,” Lummis said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “The DCA Act is commonsense legislation that will create competition, bringing down prices and accessibility for people to visit Washington, D.C.”
The legislation comes as lawmakers are currently tackling legislation to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration and aviation safety and infrastructure programs for the next five years. There are expected to be looming fights on everything from the modernization of the FAA to certifying new aircraft. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), the ranking member of the Commerce Committee, also threw his support behind the new legislation to extend the perimeter rule.
“Congress doesn’t micromanage flights between Newark and LaGuardia, O’Hare and Midway, or Dallas and Love Field, and it shouldn’t do so between DCA and Dulles,” a spokesman for the Texas senator said in a statement provided to the Washington Examiner. “As lawmakers continue work on the FAA reauthorization bill, providing more affordable flight options into and out of Washington will be a priority for Sen. Cruz and many Republican and Democrat members of this committee — all to the benefit of consumers who want a more convenient experience, less travel time, and lower costs.”
Capital Access Alliance, a coalition of business groups and Delta Airlines are working to expand the number of long-haul domestic flights to DCA, applauded the new legislation.
“We applaud Sens. Warnock and Lummis for leading the effort in the U.S. Senate to modernize the outdated perimeter rule and improve access to the nation’s capital region,” said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for CAA. “This is pro-consumer legislation aimed at making air travel more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans around the country.”
As the House marked up the FAA reauthorization bill on Tuesday, a group of 10 members of the House, led by Owens and Johnson, led a press conference in front of the Capitol to urge changes to the rule. Flanked by business leaders and several representatives from Delta Air Lines, members spoke about their push to modernize the DCA perimeter rule.
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“There are limited flights that come here from the west coast that makes it challenging for people that want to connect,” said Rep. Nanette Barragan (D-CA). “Just this week, I understand that even the cost of getting a rental car at Dulles was higher than getting a rental car at DCA.”
Extending the flight perimeter has been something lawmakers have done in the past. In 1981, Congress extended the flight perimeter to 1,000 miles from the original 650 miles. In 1986, it was extended to the current 1,250 miles. Lawmakers have also made exemptions for a small number of flights to cities such as Austin, Texas, Seattle, Denver, and Phoenix.
However, there’s also a strong lobbying fight to prevent the rule change after United Airlines and groups supporting Dulles launched a campaign that argues expanding long-haul domestic flights to Reagan will “increase traffic, noise, congestion, and delays.”
The Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports, which includes members like United Airlines, which has a hub at Dulles, and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority continue to argue that the main runway at DCA is the busiest in the nation and does not have the capacity to handle more flights. They point to a recent FAA memo that found “20 more daily roundtrip operations would increase delay by 25.9% and an increase of 25 daily roundtrip operations would increase delay by 33.2% at DCA.”
“The slot and perimeter rules were implemented for a reason — to protect regional access to Washington and minimize delays and congestion,” the group said in a statement on Tuesday. “This bill’s reckless pursuit of more flights at the expense of everyday Americans completely ignores studies conducted by MWAA and the federal government, will increase delays and disruption, and will bring Reagan National to a standstill.”
The proposal to add new long-distance flights continues to draw strong opposition from lawmakers from Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C. Sen Mark Warner (D-VA) reiterated his opposition to lifting the perimeter rule on Tuesday.
“Airport delays are the worst. A proposal to change the regulations at DCA would exacerbate them,” Warner tweeted on Tuesday. “We have a system that works. We shouldn’t meddle with the balance between Reagan and Dulles.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) also came out in support of maintaining the DCA perimeter rule on Monday.
“A flourishing Dulles Airport and Reagan National Airport are key elements in a thriving Virginia.,” he said in a statement. “The balanced two-airport system these premier aviation hubs comprise should be preserved and strengthened, not undermined.”
While American Airlines is not part of the CPARA, they are opposed to expanding the rule change and have lobbyists more covertly urging lawmakers not to change the regulations. American Airlines also has a major hub at Reagan National.
“Analysis from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Metro Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) has made clear that there is no capacity — airspace or otherwise — for additional flying at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA), and that adding additional flying would significantly delay passengers,” said Amy Lawrence with American Airlines.
“We share concerns about changes that would harm our ability to run a reliable operation and would negatively impact the experience of our customers at a key hub that provides critical access to our nation’s capital,” she added.
Lawmakers continue to dispute claims from the CPARA, which has warned regional airlines could risk losing access or delays at Reagan as a result of adding more long-haul flights.
“We’ve got language in there protecting those regional flights,” said Rep. Buddy Carter (R-GA) during the press conference on Tuesday. “My constituents in my hometown of Savannah, be assured that our flight, our nonstop direct flight, is going to stay in place. That’s not going to change.”
Although, it’s unclear what Congress could do to protect regional flights if it’s the airlines themselves who are cutting the routes. United points to a specific situation in 2012 in which exemptions were granted for the perimeter rule, allowing Delta to add a second DCA-Salt Lake City flight. In response, United cut a Dulles-Salt Lake City route. Delta then ultimately cut one of their two flights to Salt Lake City from DCA to fly to LAX instead. The changes resulted in two fewer flights from the Washington, D.C., area to Salt Lake City.
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“There’s a simple fact that airlines will always fly to where it makes the most economic sense, and that’s been evidenced by past additions to the perimeter outside the perimeter at DCA,” said Steve Morrisey, United Airlines vice president for international regulatory and policy, during the press call last week.
American Airlines said they have no plans to cut regional flights.