Washington-area airports recovering after nearly two years of adversity ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) ? It's hard to imagine a more turbulent 20 months for the two airports that serve metropolitan Washington. The jet that hit the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2001, took off from Washington Dulles International Airport. The aftermath of the attacks shut down Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport for more than a month while bureaucrats pondered whether it should close permanently. Not long after Reagan National reopened, its largest carrier, US Airways, filed for bankruptcy. Increased security requirements drove operating costs higher by millions of dollars a year. Then, the largest carrier at Dulles, United Airlines, filed for bankruptcy, prompting concerns about the its future there. The war with Iraq further destabilized the industry, particularly the international flights that are a staple at Dulles. Finally, the airports' well-respected leader ? in fact, the only director the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority ever had ? announced he is retiring, effective Friday. James Wilding has been director of the authority since its 1987 inception, which transferred the airports from federal to regional control. But the transition should be smooth as James Bennett, Wilding's top lieutenant since 1996, takes over. Two of the biggest issues ahead involve the costs and effectiveness of increased security measures after Sept. 11, and the future of United at Dulles. United is responsible for about 38 percent of the traffic at Dulles. But the airport is the smallest of United's five U.S.-based hubs, and some industry observers have speculated that the airline might scale back operations or eliminate the hub. Wilding and Bennett say that is unlikely. Dulles provides United a base for its trans-Atlantic operations that would be difficult to duplicate, Wilding said. United spokesman Chris Braithwaite said the airline intends to emerge from bankruptcy with all five hubs intact. Bennett said the presence of United at Dulles is a healthy one. Using it as a hub means that United and its primary express carrier, Atlantic Coast Airlines, provide nonstop service to many small and mid-sized cities from there. The presence provides good-paying jobs as well ? United is one of the top three private employees in Loudoun County, for example. But the airline does not dominate the hub and does not have the ability to force unnaturally high prices. "There's a dual role going on at Dulles," Bennett said. "On the one hand, it's an international hub. But you also have the domestic operations, and the nice thing about the domestic side is that Dulles is very diversified. You have the low-fare product with AirTran and Jet Blue. ... There's quite a bit of choice at Dulles." Despite the presence of some low-fare carriers, travelers in the Washington area most often find the cheapest fares at Baltimore-Washington International, about 30 miles north of Washington. Discount carrier Southwest Airlines is by far BWI's largest carrier, with nearly 50 percent of the traffic there. And when US Airways dramatically scaled back operations there, low-fare carrier AirTran picked up much of the slack. Bennett acknowledged that BWI has carved out a successful niche as a low-fare airport. And while he said MWAA would like to bring more low-fare carriers to Dulles, it's not necessarily a top priority. What makes Dulles distinctive, he said, "is the fact that we have a very large regional market ... and you don't see the level of international traffic at BWI that you do at Dulles." A $4.1 billion expansion at Dulles, approved in part to accommodate United, has been scaled back to about $2.6 billion, which will help the airport hold the line on landing fees. Other airports have been cutting construction costs, said Brian Busey, a McLean-based law partner with Morrison and Foerster who represents several airports across the country. Airports are facing a tough time because of reduced landing fees from fewer flights, and the increased security costs. As a result, projects like new runways and terminals are being put off. "Instead of seeing construction signs up for two years, you might see them up for five years," Busey said. Those capital improvements will be sorely needed when and if traffic resumes and exceeds the 2000 levels that led to congestion at many airports, Busey said. At Dulles, officials have focused on construction that will help travelers get in and out quickly. Two new parking garages recently opened, adding more than 8,000 spaces to the 17,000 that had been available. Construction continues on an underground train that will replace the airport's unique ? and some say antiquated ? mobile lounges that shuttle travelers from the terminal to the gate. "The capacity issue is something we've never lost sight of," Bennett said. Wilding said the airports spend an extra $4 million to $5 million a year on security, which he said is much better than it was before Sept. 11. But he said many issues still need to be worked out. "We're still feeling our way a little bit. It's still not the most stable part of our business," he said. But for all the hand-wringing about the future of the airline industry, Wilding and Bennett remain optimistic. "I think aviation is still extremely relevant to the life of this country," Wilding said. 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