June 2023 Washington Post editorial: "Don't Ruin Reagan National Airport"
Great news! The Washington Post editorial board just published an opinion piece opposing any changes to the slot and perimeter rule. In their words: “This would make a mess of DCA — worsening delays, noise, congestion and overcrowding — while destabilizing the regional air network.”
We couldn't agree more. Especially about the noise part!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/06/02/dca-reagan-perimeter-rule-congress/
Full text here:
Don't Ruin Reagan National Airport
By the Washington Post Editorial Board
June 2, 2023
Imagine 28 more daily round-trip flights out of Reagan National Airport, already one of the nation’s busiest and most delay-prone. That’s the future Delta Air Lines wants Congress to permit, with a lobbying blitz to add language into a must-pass Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that would boost the airport’s traffic and erode limits on how many planes can operate from there beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter. This would make a mess of DCA — worsening delays, noise, congestion and overcrowding — while destabilizing the regional air network.
That’s why the congressional delegations in Virginia and Maryland vigorously oppose the proposal, which members of Congress who represent Delta hubs in Utah and Georgia are pushing. So does the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages Reagan National and Washington Dulles International Airport.
DCA is designed to handle 15 million annual passengers. Last year, 24 million moved through its gates. The airport’s single main runway is already the busiest in the United States, averaging 819 daily takeoffs and landings. Clogging it with 56 extra flights (28 in and 28 out) would mean an estimated 9,000 more passengers per day — or more than 3 million a year.
About 1 in 5 flights into and out of DCA currently experience delays, which run 67 minutes on average, according to an FAA analysis that estimates adding 25 daily round trips would increase delays at the airport by 33.2 percent. Planes coming into DCA already get told to fly in a loop around the airport more than anywhere else, according to the FAA — often because gates aren’t available. DCA ranks 10th-worst in delays and has the fifth-most ground stops in the nation, totaling 69 percent more than Baltimore-Washington International and Dulles combined. This plan would amplify the ripple effect that occurs after the slightest logistical hiccup.
Residents in Alexandria, Arlington and Georgetown already endure airplanes flying overhead every minute or two during peak travel times. The DCA Community Noise Working Group, convened by the airport authority in 2015, warns that “long-haul flights use larger aircraft on average, and larger aircraft require more fuel. All that extra weight requires more thrust which makes them louder. Long-haul jets also frequently take off very early in the morning and land late at night because they are departing to or arriving from airports located farther away.”
Because it’s bounded between the Potomac River and the George Washington Memorial Parkway, DCA literally has no room to grow and cannot reasonably accommodate additional service. Parking garages often run at 90 percent capacity and sometimes need to turn away customers. DCA finally got rid of Gate 35X, an escalator-and-bus setup that caused many travel nightmares, by creating a new concourse and consolidated security to make changing planes easier. But this renovation didn’t add capacity to handle more takeoffs and landings.
DCA’s limitations are why Dulles opened in 1962 for long-haul and international flights, with surrounding areas zoned accordingly. The federal government owns both DCA and IAD, which invites meddling by lawmakers who fly home frequently. Congress extended National’s flight perimeter from 650 miles to 1,000 miles in 1981 and then to 1,250 miles in 1986. Over the years, because of DCA’s proximity to Capitol Hill, powerful members pushed through carveouts for cities such as Las Vegas, Seattle and Austin. The 2012 FAA reauthorization allowed 16 more flights beyond that perimeter.
Yet getting to and around Dulles has become more convenient, making it a more reasonable option for travelers. A Metro station on the Silver Line finally opened at IAD last November after decades of work. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law just made possible a $50 million grant for construction of a new terminal at Dulles. But airlines could stop running as many routes through IAD if Congress crams more flights into Reagan National. United Airlines chief executive Scott Kirby explained that IAD has become an international hub because United can count on enough passengers coming in via long-haul domestic flights from the West Coast. Giving such flights to DCA would make it untenable to continue direct service to destinations such as Ghana and Jordan, limiting regional travelers’ options.
The aviation industry’s real problem is a nationwide shortage of about 3,000 air traffic controllers, which causes regular slowdowns at airports with far more runway capacity than National. The FAA reauthorization, which must pass by Sept. 30, can address this by expanding training capacity and funding. But the DCA provision is a poison pill that threatens to derail passage. This is why Delta’s desire to saddle DCA with more flights than it can handle should go the way of Gate 35X.
