KBH and other senators want more DCA flights included in FAA bill

CQ reported today that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison and other Republican senators are pushing to increase the number of longer distance flights from Reagan National Airport, which are restricted under current law.

The Republicans want an additional 10 daily long-distance slots at Reagan included in the FAA authorization bill being negotiated between the House and Senate (both chambers have passed their bills). The story says Hutchison is pushing for four additional flights to Texas.

Lawmakers from western states have long wanted more direct service to DCA, which is prized for its proximity to downtown Washington. Southwest Airlines has also looked for an opportunity to expand into DCA. The Dallas carrier opposed a DOT compromise on a proposed slot swap between Delta and US Airways, which would require the carriers to sell 14 slots at DCA. Southwest urged the DOT to force its competitors to give up more slots to "counteract the anti-competitive effects of the Delta/US Airways slot swap," according to a filing from March.

Regarding Hutchison's involvement, CQ says she would "add four slots for flights between National and medium-hub airports within 2,000 miles." It suggests that would accommodate more service to "second airports" in Dallas and Houston, as well as new flights to Austin and San Antonio.

A spokesman for Republicans on the Senate Commerce Committee would not provide specifics about what Hutchison is seeking. Airline industry officials don't think the DCA rule will bog down the FAA bill to the extent that a labor dispute between FedEx and UPS have.

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