On Friday, a group of U.S. Senators urged members of the Senate Commerce and the House Transportation and Infrastructure committees to oppose any changes to slot and perimeter rules.
The rules, which determine how many flights can safely operate out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), and how far those flights can go, are part of the upcoming Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act. U.S. Sens. Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Mark Warner (D-VA) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) said proposed changes to the rules included in the Senate version of the reauthorization bill would increase delays and cancellations, as well as risk safety at the DCA.
“As the House and Senate work toward a final FAA reauthorization bill, we urge you to reject any proposal to add additional flights at an overburdened DCA, which would negatively impact service and increase delays and cancelations for all passengers traveling to and from the airport,” the senators said in a letter to the committees’ chairs. “While these delays already impact service… the addition of ten new flights at DCA will make the situation worse for those traveling to and from the airport, including those with direct service and those who rely on connecting flights.”
The senators said the changes would also threaten current service reliability to nearly 100 other inside perimeter airports across the country.
“Additional beyond-the-perimeter flying at an already at-capacity DCA would adversely impact service at these airports with increased delays and cancelations, downgrading the operational performance of these routes and hurting the passenger experience, with no benefit to these communities that rely on regular, reliable service to and from DCA,” the senators said. “It should go without saying that the safety of the flying public must be our primary focus, particularly as a number of high-profile incidents and near-misses have brought home in a concrete way the need to safeguard the complex and interconnected infrastructure that keeps the National Airspace System safe. Adding ten additional flights into an already overburdened airport is directly contrary to this goal.”
Physical limitations at DCA since 1986 has restricted the number of nonstop flights that can originate out of DCA to airports outside of a 1,250-mile perimeter. However, in past FAA reauthorization bills, Congress has made changes to these rules, the law makers said, which has disrupted the balance by adding more flights from Reagan International Airport to destinations outside of the perimeter. Those changes have added significant stress to DCA’s facilities, the Senators said, and created frustrations for travelers, businesses and local residents.