Debate rages over adding flights at National By Barbara DeLollis and Barbara Hansen, USA TODAY Ronald Reagan Washington National might be the only airport in the country embroiled in a fight about whether it should get more flights. At a time when many communities are begging for more airline service, a proposal in the House of Representatives to beef up National's flight schedules is creating squabbling among property owners, lawmakers and airlines themselves. National is one of three airports where the federal government limits the number of takeoffs and landings, effectively restricting competition. But many travelers like it because it's only about 3 miles from downtown Washington, much closer than either Dulles or Baltimore/Washington airports. The expansion effort comes three years after Congress agreed to allow new flights and for the first time, relaxed a decades-old ban on flights beyond 1,250 miles. The 2000 law aimed to increase competition at National by allowing airlines to add 12 round-trip flights, half inside the perimeter and half outside. Priority was given to new airports and new airlines not already serving National. The current proposal, which is part of a larger aviation funding bill, would add six long-distance round trips and four round trips inside the perimeter. So far, the Senate's aviation-funding bill does not include a similar provision. The airport arguably has room to add some flights. The General Accounting Office said in 1999 that National could handle more flights, and the airport has fewer flights now than it had then. National has about 2% fewer scheduled commercial flights and 18% fewer seats this month compared with June 2000, according to data from Back Aviation Solutions. That disparity is due to more of the airport's flights now being operated by regional jets, which have fewer seats than the large Boeing and Airbus jets that big airlines fly, says Michael Allen, chief operating officer of Back Aviation Solutions. Three airlines have started flights in and out of National since March 2000. Alaska Airlines flies once daily to Seattle, Frontier has one to Denver, and ATA has three to Chicago Midway. Other additions: America West added a flight to Las Vegas and two to Phoenix, and Delta added one to Salt Lake City. Not all the new service is attributable to the legislation, however. Local groups such as the Washington Airports Task Force are fighting the proposal because they say it usurps local control of the airport. The federal government transferred control over National and Dulles to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority 16 years ago. Congress' 1999 legislation was presented as a one-time adjustment, although opponents at the time feared additional changes. Some local lawmakers and major airlines such as United are fighting the effort because they prefer to steer growth to Dulles, where United operates many international flights. United says more flights at National could undermine its operations at Dulles. Other airlines, however, charge the tight controls on National's service are hurting competition. US Airways, the dominant carrier at National, with about 22% of the seats on scheduled flights, and low-cost carrier AirTran, are actively promoting the expansion. If some additional flights are approved, travelers could eventually have non-stop service to popular destinations such as San Francisco, or find cheaper fares to some cities such as Atlanta. The airport "has fewer competitors and less competition and certainly fewer new entrants than any airport in the U.S.," says Ed Faberman, who is lobbying on behalf of AirTran and Frontier for more flights. If takeoff and landing rights are added, AirTran will seek authority to add Atlanta service, which it already offers at Dulles and BWI. US Airways also would like to expand. Last year, it sought the rights to offer non-stop flights to San Francisco. Airlines covet slots at National because of its proximity to downtown Washington. A cab ride downtown costs about a third as much as from Dulles, and National also has a subway stop. Both Dulles and BWI are close to an hour's drive away, especially during rush hours, compared with minutes for National. Perhaps most important for the major airlines, flights to and from National are usually profitable, because people will still pay a premium for greater convenience, Allen says. "National Airport is one of the top business destinations in the country," Faberman says. "If you want to serve business travelers, people who frequently make trips to a place like Washington, it's good to be able to say we have choices for you." Sales executive Dennis Ainge flew back from Denver Friday on Frontier, thankful for the option at National. Dulles is closer to his home in suburban Virginia, he says, but schedule changes since Sept. 11 have made it difficult for him to find convenient flights there. New National non-stops Examples of new non-stop destinations from Reagan Washington National since March 2000: Chicago Midway Phoenix Salt Lake City Denver Las Vegas Bermuda Seattle/Tacoma Birmingham, Ala. Des Moines Nassau, Bahamas Source: USA TODAY analysis of data from Back Aviation Solutions Where National ranks Reagan Washington National is the nation's 22nd-busiest airport based on airline departures scheduled this month: Departures Rank Chicago O'Hare 36,682 1 Atlanta 35,416 2 Dallas/Fort Worth 30,269 3 Los Angeles 22,714 4 Detroit 19,319 5 Minneapolis/St. Paul 19,146 6 Denver 19,105 7 Phoenix 18,471 8 Houston Bush 18,378 9 Cincinnati 18,143 10 Charlotte 16,110 11 Philadelphia 15,873 12 New York LaGuardia 15,583 13 Newark 15,521 14 Seattle/Tacoma 14,691 15 Boston 14,205 16 Pittsburgh 13,405 17 Las Vegas 12,742 18 San Francisco 11,943 19 Miami 11,634 20 Salt Lake City 11,271 21 Washington Reagan National 10,665 22 Source: Back Aviation Solutions *************************************************** 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.natalielaughlin.com/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************