Spot Reinforces That The Bill Would Increase Competition & Lower Ticket Prices, While Protecting Existing Flights
Washington, D.C. – Capital Access Alliance (CAA), a nationwide coalition of business and transportation leaders seeking to make air travel to and from Washington, D.C. more accessible and affordable, today released a new ad, “Real Talk,” as part of its multi-state digital advertising campaign. The 30- and 15-second ads fact check false claims made by opponents about the bipartisan Direct Capital Access Act (The DCA Act).
H.R. 3185 and S. 1933, introduced in the U.S. House and Senate respectively, would add a modest number of in- and beyond-perimeter flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) on top of existing service. In other words, it’s purely additive legislation that would not threaten existing flights or eliminate current regional routes to and from DCA as some opponents publicly and falsely claim.
“Opponents continue to try and mislead the public about The DCA Act, so we will continue to set the record straight. The only thing The DCA Act would do is give air travelers more choices at lower costs, period. Opposition from United and American Airlines is nothing more than a poorly veiled effort to obstruct competition in the D.C. marketplace. The lack of competition is why Washington, D.C. has the highest domestic ticket prices in the country among all top metropolitan areas. And truth be told, opponents of The DCA Act want to keep it that way,” said CAA spokesperson Brian Walsh.
The ad follows CAA’s launch earlier this month of ProtectRegionalAirportsFacts.com, a website that outlines the facts about modernizing the 1960s era perimeter rule and adding more flights at DCA. The site addresses even more misleading claims being put forward by “The Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports,” an organization backed by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) and United Airlines that aims to block consumers from stronger and more affordable access to Washington, D.C.
Bipartisan support continues to grow in both houses for The DCA Act. Just last week, the full Utah delegation announced its support for S. 1933, as Senators Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) signed on as cosponsors, as well as Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA). Senator Jacky Rosen (D-NV) is also on the record in support, saying in a recent statement, “Increasing the number of long-haul flights from Washington National Airport could help Western cities like Las Vegas bring in more visitors, boosting tourism and helping our local economy.” In the U.S. House, Representative Henry Cuellar (D-TX) became the most recent cosponsor of The DCA Act, joining more than 30 other cosponsors from in- and beyond-perimeter districts who support additional flights.
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About CAA
CAA consists of diverse members from around the country and various industries, including transportation, general business groups, the small business sector, entrepreneurs and job creators, organizations focused on economic development and leaders in the civic and policy communities.
Learn more about Capital Access Alliance HERE.
Read CAA’s complete study HERE.