Can Reagan National Airport afford to get any busier?

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

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The region’s U.S. Senate delegation is standing united in opposition to a Congressional proposal to add dozens of daily flights to Reagan National Airport.

Democratic Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia, along with Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, made a joint appearance Monday at the airport’s Terminal 2, where they criticized the proposal. The group called the plan a risk to safety, a likely cause of more flight delays and certain to increase noise for neighborhoods along the airport’s flight path.

“National just does not have the capacity to take on these additional flights…this is important for the whole region. It’s important for the traveling public,” said Sen. Warner.

The DCA Act — not yet passed out of House or Senate committee — aims to “enhance flight options for consumers flying to and from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport” by increasing current limits on the number of flights allowed into Reagan outside a 1250-mile radius of the airport.

“Why are the four of us together here — the senators from Maryland and Virginia? Because we are very concerned about the regional impact a change in either the perimeter or slot rules will have on our region. We have three viable airports and we want to make sure they all remain viable,” said retiring Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland.

The delegation advocated for additional long-haul flights going out of bigger airports like nearby Baltimore Washington Airport or Dulles International Airport.

Is Reagan able to handle more flights?

Supporters of the plan to add flights at Reagan National said that the additional flights would provide consumers with more choices near the District. The advocacy group backing the expansion “Capital Access Alliance,” a coalition that includes Delta Air Lines, also said that the airport could handle more than 28 additional flights a day from 7 a.m. until 10 p.m.

“DCA can cater to these additional flights even at its most constrained times without falling behind major U.S. airports in customer delays. If authorized, the added flights can also result in more efficient usage of airport capacity during non-peak hours,” the study concluded.

The study suggested that Reagan National Airport would see up to a million additional passengers coming through its gates and millions in additional funds at the state and federal levels.

“DCA is the only airport in the country subject to a federally-imposed perimeter rule and is being underutilized as a result. This nearly 60-year-old regulation is making air travel longer and more expensive, while also harming businesses and the environment,” said CAA spokesperson Brian Walsh.

At the announcement opposing any expansion of service or tampering with the perimeter, a number of airline pilots stood behind the Maryland and Virginia senators and disagreed with some core assessments.

“As we all know Reagan is at capacity, it is a great airport but adding longer flights will increase ground congestion, add to delays and burden the local community with added noise,” said Mary Ann Schaffer, United Airlines’ system chief pilot.

Schaffer said she has flown several times since moving to Virginia more than three decades ago and that only one nearby airport is sufficient for long flight departures.

“I’ve flown long flights out of Reagan and faced these challenges. And while it is truly my favorite airport, changing the rules will take Reagan from a convenient and efficient airport — with some of the best controllers — to overcrowded and delay-ridden,” Schaffer said.

Sen. Warner added that, unlike Dulles International, which has support from a recent Silver Line expansion and more landing and takeoff area, Reagan is likely to become more overwhelmed than it already is. Warner claimed Reagan sees roughly a million more passengers than Dulles has annually — the Capital Access Alliance estimates that number could double.

“That is one of our gateway airports for the national capital region,” Warner said.

On the House side, the District’s sole non-voting Congressional representation, Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, decried representatives and senators pushing for the expansion of Reagan National service.

“Members of Congress who are trying to change this are doing so for very selfish reasons. They want flights directly to their home districts,” Norton said during a phone interview with Bloomberg Government reporter Lillianna Byington in late April.

Not the first flight fight

This isn’t the first time capital region officials voiced opposition to a bill expanding the number of flights out of Reagan National Airport.

In 2017, Democrats and Republicans representing D.C., Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia pushed to keep Reagan’s airport perimeter rule in place, saying the policy helped to achieve a balance between local and national transportation interests. Since Republican Representatives Burgess Owens of Utah and Hank Johnson of Georgia introduced the bill in early May, however, it has gained bipartisan support.

“By limiting the number of flights in and out of National Airport, we are squeezing consumers – they are the ones paying the price. Travelers who want to visit the capital region face the most expensive domestic ticket prices compared to other major markets because of limited competition. The DCA Act will help alleviate that pressure on consumers and the flying public,” said Rep. Hank Johnson, a senior member of the Transportation & Infrastructure Committee.

Senator Mike Lee said he was proud to support the bill expanding the number of flights heading out of Reagan.

“More options will reduce ticket prices and generate millions in economic benefits, making our nation’s capital more accessible and affordable for all Americans,” said Lee.