US Congressmen Push For Longer Flights At Washington Reagan National Airport

Two United States Congressmen have introduced a bipartisan bill that, if approved, would add 28 daily flights to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, including more long-haul flights.

Introducing a new bill

In 1960, a federal “perimeter” rule was created at DCA, heavily restricting the number of flights allowed over 1,250 miles. Currently, there are ten routes to and from DCA greater than 1,250 miles, flown by seven airlines. Rep. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) and Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) have introduced a bipartisan bill to add more flights to the airport’s daily operations, including long-haul flights.

“By limiting the number of flights in and out of National Airport, we are squeezing consumers — they are the ones paying the price.” – Hank Johnson, Transportation & Infrastructure Committee

The proposed bill is titled the Direct Capital Access Act of 2023 or the DCA Act of 2023. As mentioned above, the bill proposes adding new slots at DCA but no more than eight additional operations per hour between 07:00 and 21:59. No slots would be added between 22:00 and 07:00 because of the airport’s proximity to the city and to limit noise levels. The bill is supported by the Capital Access Alliance, a group that includes Delta Air Lines.

Support and opposition

The Capital Access Alliance highlights that DCA is the only airport in the United States limited by an outdated “perimeter” rule. According to the Capital Access Alliance, Washington D.C. has the most expensive domestic fares of any city in the top ten metropolitan areas.

“This is an issue for Congress to solve, and the time to do it is this year. Increasing the number of flights to and from DCA each day will benefit countless communities and consumers in western states by making air travel more efficient and affordable. We urge the full U.S. House to support the inclusion of The DCA Act in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill later this year.” – Brian Walsh, Spokesperson, Capital Access Alliance

Adding new nonstop flights would allow between 800,000 – 1,000,000 passengers to be connected to cities outside the perimeter. Beyond that, airline ticket prices would be reduced, passenger productivity would increase with passengers spending less time on flights, an estimated 1,000 – 1,300 jobs would be created, state and federal tax revenue would increase, and reduce carbon emissions by eliminating connections.

Reagan National and Washington Dulles International Airport are operated by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), which opposes the addition of more flights. The MWAA claims the relaxation of the perimeter rules has been proven to increase noise, congestion, and delays, in addition to reducing services to smaller markets. Numerous factors limit DCA, and the MWAA highlights Dulles’ growth and capacity for increased operations as an alternative to DCA.

Below is a list of all routes greater than 1,250 miles from DCA:

What airport would you like to see nonstop service to/from DCA? Let us know in the comments below.

Sources: Capital Access Alliance, wtop news