Make Washington D.C. More Accessible (Op-Ed)
Photo Credit: Ad Meskens / CC
By Ryan Egly [President & CEO of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce] –
Families, school groups, business leaders, and concerned citizens visit our nation’s capital to experience our history and engage with our government. Many choose to fly as air travel has increasingly become a common good, a mode of transportation easily accessible for most citizens. However, according to multiple surveys and recent reports, Washington DC tends to be the most expensive destination to reach by flying.
Of all cities, our capitol city should be the easiest for the American people to access. Of course, it isn’t a surprise that DC’s closest airport finds itself entangled in Washington’s red tape.
Like other airports across the country, the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is experiencing a significant boom in the consumer demand for flights. Unlike other airports, however, Reagan National is limited by a 1960’s era federal law limiting its ability to expand its services.
DCA is the only airport in the country that has federally mandated limits on the number of flights that can fly into and out of the airport. With certain exemptions that were carved out in the 1980s, these limitations impact flights coming and going more than 1,250 miles away.
Americans can blame this outdated rule for limiting competition and allowing airlines to increase ticket prices with little to no backlash. Luckily, there is currently a bill before Congress to address this 60-year-old regulation. The Direct Capital Access Act, known as the DCA Act, will create more and longer flights in and out of Reagan National.
Although nay-sayers inside the DC beltway will argue that the airport is already at capacity and cannot add more flights without jeopardizing the quality of services provided by DCA, the U.S. Government Accountability Office tells us something different.
A 2020 GAO report on this issue highlights that Reagan National is operating well below the 12 maximum authorized hourly reservations for general aviation. Meaning timeslots do indeed exist to add more direct and longer, outside the perimeter, flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration supported this claim by identifying three-time blocks that are currently underutilized and can withstand 12 additional flights per hour.
Whether it’s for business or pleasure, travelers flying to and from Washington DC need better options. Congress can make this happen by supporting this legislation to increase the number of long-distance and daily flights out of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. Increasing flight options to Reagan National will improve access to our nation’s capital and can potentially decrease pricing and travel time for travelers.
I urge Representative DesJarlais, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and Senator Bill Hagerty to support these efforts.
About the Author: Ryan Egly is the President & CEO of the Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce located in Lawrenceburg, Tennessee.
