House panel compromises on more flights at National WASHINGTON (AP) =97 Congress took another step Wednesday toward adding=20 flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, but local lawmakers=20 are optimistic about grounding the plan before it becomes law. The House=20 Transportation Committee passed a compromise measure that would add 20=20 takeoff or landing slots. Twelve of those would be for planes going beyond= =20 National's traditional limit of 1,250 miles, allowing more direct flights=20 to the West. The compromise cuts the number of slots from the 36 originally= =20 proposed. "The only thing I'm happy with is we're not at 36," said District= =20 Of Columbia Congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, who had offered an=20 amendment to strike the proposal altogether, but withdrew it when she=20 didn't have the votes. "It has serious implications for safety, noise and=20 crowding," Norton said. She also warned the move could hurt struggling=20 airlines as well as divert traffic from Washington Dulles International=20 Airport, designed to handle the longer flights. "Any change in slots=20 micromanages a regional airport," Norton said. "We're not through yet,=20 we're going to drive this down." Once the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill, which=20 carries the provision affecting National, passes the full House and Senate,= =20 it goes to a conference committee. In 1966, flights to and from National=20 were limited by act of Congress to a maximum of 650 miles. Congress=20 extended it to 1,000 miles in 1981 and 1,250 miles in 1986, just before=20 direct federal control of the airport was relinquished, and the=20 Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority was created. In 2000, Congress authorized 12 slots for flights beyond the 1,250 mile=20 limit. There are about 62 flights an hour at National. Rep. Jim Moran,=20 D-Va., whose district includes the airport, told The Associated Press he's= =20 optimistic that when it gets there, the number will be cut even more. The=20 Senate version does not add any flights to National. Adding flights to=20 National could directly benefit some members of Congress looking for=20 convenient transportation home. "If the members of Congress were as self-centered as they are too often=20 portrayed, they would fill up National with slots that would take them back= =20 to their districts," said Moran, whose constituents worry about additional= =20 plane noise. The committee also passed a sense of the Congress amendment=20 saying the airport should be reopened to private planes "as soon as=20 possible." "It is ridiculous that we're not able to take general aviation=20 into Washington National," said Committee Chairman Don Young, R-Alaska. He= =20 said charter flights are totally safe and barring them is costing airlines= =20 money. National was the last of the major U.S. airports to reopen after the= =20 terrorist attacks. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@xxxxxxxxx Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Mas Site: www.tntisland.com/tntrecords/mas2003/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribbeanfloral.com TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************