Reagan National debates adding flights

FAA warns that additional service would increase delays, cites airport capacity

A traveler looks at a flight board with delays and cancellations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, in Arlington, Va. Congressional investigators said in a report at the end of April that an increase in flight cancellations as travel recovered from the pandemic was due mostly to factors that airlines controlled, including cancellations for maintenance issues or lack of a crew. 
(AP/Patrick Semansky)
A traveler looks at a flight board with delays and cancellations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Wednesday, in Arlington, Va. Congressional investigators said in a report at the end of April that an increase in flight cancellations as travel recovered from the pandemic was due mostly to factors that airlines controlled, including cancellations for maintenance issues or lack of a crew. (AP/Patrick Semansky)

Adding more than two dozen daily round-trip flights at Reagan National Airport could increase the number of flight delays by as much as one-third, according to an internal analysis by the Federal Aviation Administration, a finding that may undercut a new campaign to increase air service at the airport.

The analysis, contained in an internal FAA memo, indicates a report by the Capital Access Alliance, which said National could support additional flights, is "flawed and does not directly tie to the physical airport capacity." Rather than improve service, as the CAA study found, "additional flights at DCA would likely have a negative impact on operational performance and the passenger experience," the federal agency concluded.

The FAA memo is likely to add fodder to a long-standing debate in Congress over decades-old rules that govern operations at National, limiting both the number of flights and the distance they can travel. Unlike other U.S. airports, National and Dulles International Airport are owned by the federal government, which gives Congress a say in how they are operated.

A bill introduced last month by Reps. Hank Johnson, D-Ga., and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, would allow 28 additional daily round trips and permit airlines to offer more long-distance service out of National, where rules allow only a handful of flights to operate beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter. Supporters say modernizing the federal regulation would make travel to the region more affordable and increase options for consumers.

Members of the regional congressional delegation and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages daily operations at National and Dulles, have long opposed changes to the airport just outside Washington. They argue that Dulles, more than 10 times the size of National, is better positioned to handle long-haul flights and additional air traffic.

The debate this year has attracted the attention of two of the nation's largest airlines.

Delta Air Lines, the second-largest carrier at National, is backing the Capital Access Alliance's efforts to increase air service. Meanwhile, United Airlines, the dominant carrier at Dulles, announced in recent days it is backing a new coalition created to fight the proposed changes. American Airlines, the largest carrier at National, also is against the proposed changes.

Delta spokeswoman Lisa Hanna said in a statement that existing rules harm air travelers and the economies of certain markets.

"The unintentional consequences of the federal perimeter rule are costing customers time and money, while hurting businesses in Western states and the Capital region," she said.

In its analysis, the FAA found National is more prone to delays than other U.S. airports and that measures -- including adding more air traffic controllers -- would be unlikely to remedy that. Unlike other regions of the country, delays at National are not attributable to airspace issues, according to the FAA, but rather challenges such as the availability of airport gates. The agency, however, said it would be possible to add more long-distance flights at National if the overall number of round trips did not increase.

Brian Walsh, a spokesman for Capital Access Alliance, disagreed with the FAA's analysis, saying airlines would work with the FAA to schedule flights during periods when there is less air traffic.

"Adding more flights would not add needless delays into the airport," he said. "Airlines would work with the FAA, just as is done at other airports, to schedule additional flights at lower time periods and not surge during peak time periods."

In a meeting last week with The Washington Post editorial board, Scott Kirby, chief executive of United Airlines, said adding service at National is a "zero-sum gain."

"There is effectively one runway at DCA," he said. "It is the busiest runway in the country and already is heavily delayed. That means anyone who says you can just add flights it is trying to sell you fool's gold."

Kirby also acknowledged that adding flights at National could hamper United's ability to connect passengers to the growing number of international flights it offers at its Dulles hub.

American Airlines and Southwest Airlines also expressed concerns about the effects of additional flights, citing a lack of airport capacity.

"Analysis from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Metro Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) has made clear that there is no capacity -- airspace or otherwise -- for additional flying at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA), and that adding additional flying would significantly delay passengers," American spokesperson Curtis Blessing said in a statement.

Southwest Airlines said while it supports more nonstop flight options and more competition at National, "we also support a balanced approach that considers the opinions of local leaders and the realities of a capacity-constrained airport." JetBlue Airways and Alaska Airlines did not respond to requests for comment.

In a letter to leaders of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee last month, members of the region's congressional delegation reiterated their opposition to changes at National, saying the addition of flights could hamper safety, leading to disruptions in "an already complicated airspace."

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