OPINION:
Washington, D.C., is home to a notorious distinction for air travelers.
It is more expensive to fly to Washington, D.C., than to fly to any other major metropolitan area in the United States. In fact, Dulles International Airport (IAD) was recently named “the most expensive airport in the country” with an average domestic ticket price of almost $500.
In addition, because many passengers have to make at least one connection when flying into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), a recent study showed that DCA also has the highest carbon footprint per passenger among all airports in the top U.S. metro areas.
This year, Members of Congress in both parties have their sights set on addressing these issues by targeting an outdated federal regulation that applies to DCA and no other airport in the country. This unseemly bit of anti-competitive protectionism, officially known as “the perimeter rule” has resulted in sky-high airfares, fewer direct flight options, and more layovers when traveling to DCA.
Fortunately, there is bipartisan momentum for consumer-oriented reforms, and it couldn’t come soon enough. As a former House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee member and Vice-Chair of the Aviation Subcommittee, I am proud to support this effort.
Since 1966, at the direction of Congress, the federal government has enforced a limit on the number of long-distance flights that can access DCA each day. The original goal of this intervention by Congress was to ensure a customer base for the newly built Dulles International Airport (IAD) in Loudoun County, Virginia. We can leave it to urban planners to debate whether government protectionism was ever necessary. Still, given Northern Virginia’s population explosion over the last 20-plus years, and the reality that ten times more Americans are flying today versus 60 years ago, there’s no question that it’s time to take a fresh look in 2023.
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Bipartisan legislation has been introduced in both the House and Senate, which would allow additional flights to DCA to both in and beyond perimeter destinations. The airlines that currently serve DCA would be authorized to add a modest number of new flights on top of their existing service.
Of course, the debate over whether to open up DCA—like all policy debates—has become the subject of Capitol Hill politics, local politics, media speculation, and intense lobbying. Some airlines would like to keep limits on DCA to protect their current competitive advantage over flight routes. They are trying to defeat this bill for the simple reason that they oppose more competition. Some D.C.-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area Members of Congress would like to keep federal limits on DCA to continue propping up Dulles even as the data shows it is doing just fine.
Beltway media have a habit of covering public policy debates through the lens of who’s winning and losing on K Street. But the real question is whether Congress will side with consumers or with the special interests invested in maintaining the status quo.
The status quo protectors have claimed that the House and Senate legislation could somehow threaten routes to DCA from smaller regional airports. Of course, this doesn’t make sense. The bill is four pages long, and nowhere does it have language about any current flights—it only authorizes additional flights.
Here are some other facts:
We know that adding flights at DCA can be done safely. According to FAA data, DCA is well equipped to handle additional flights during multiple windows throughout the day. Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, who served under both Presidents Obama and Trump, has also made this argument in support. Additionally, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) recently completed a $1 billion terminal expansion at DCA, helping to facilitate thousands more daily passengers.
We also know that adding flights to DCA will benefit the people who call the capital region home. Greater tourism, for example, will bring greater economic activity, including tens of millions in tax revenue and more than 1,000 new jobs, according to a private sector study.
We know that adding flights to DCA is supported by the local community. According to polling data, most Virginia voters including a majority in Northern Virginia support this effort.
Some things from 1966 remain timeless, like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. But in our current age of innovation and competition, 1960’s-era big government protectionism has outlived its usefulness. Demand for air travel is ten times higher than it was back then. It only makes sense for the perimeter rule to be adapted to better meet consumers’ needs.
It’s time to strengthen Washington’s connectivity to the rest of the country, shed the distinction of notoriously high prices, and allow DCA to modernize like every other major airport.
• Ryan Costello served as U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania’s Sixth District from 2015 to 2019 where he served on the House Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation. He is a board member for the Capital Access Alliance.
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