In Case You Missed It: CAA Spokesperson And Missouri Grassroots Leader Urge Support For Additional Flights At Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

In case you missed it, Capital Access Alliance (CAA) spokesperson Brian Walsh recently joined Wake Up Mid-Missouri, one of Missouri’s leading morning radio programs, where he outlined how the outdated 1960s perimeter rule is limiting competition and consumer choice at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). The rule is hurting Missouri residents and travelers across the country seeking more affordable access to the national capital region.

Walsh highlights the need to include additional in- and beyond-perimeter flights at DCA in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bill, which Congress must pass by March. As Walsh explained during the interview, “We’re making the case that this is pro-consumer, pro-free market. It will lower prices, give people more options. More people are flying than ever before. They should have more options.” Due to limited competition,consumers traveling to and from Washington, D.C., currently pay the highest ticket prices of the country’s top metropolitan areas. Walsh also emphasized that adding much-needed flights at DCA would have no impact on existing routes.

An op-ed in The Missouri Times by Lane Koch, a Republican grassroots influencer, reinforces how the protectionist nature of the perimeter rule is driving up ticket prices and keeping travel to Washington, D.C. out of reach for many Missourians. Koch wrote, “The free market is the foundation of sound economic policy, and the freedom to choose is a key component. Missourians deserve to reap its benefits, and that includes air travel. It is time to modernize this protectionist policy that is taking the power away from the American consumer.”

Listen to CAA spokesperson Brian Walsh’s entire interview HERE.

Read Lane Koch’s entire op-ed HERE and below:

Missourians Deserve To Go To DC Too

The Missouri Times

Lane Koch

January 30, 2024

As a fifth-generation Missourian, my husband and I are proud to be raising our three children in this great state. It’s an exciting time to be living in Missouri. The population of Missouri is booming at 0.2% growth a year, which equals thousands of people moving to the “Show-Me State” annually, and with them, their businesses, talents, and skills follow suit. In fact, Missouri has become the global leader in agricultural technology.

Missouri is trailblazing into the future, and with that, a greater need for stronger access to Washington, D.C. Standing in the way, however, is an outdated regulation known as the “perimeter rule” that continues to be forced upon Missourians.

The “perimeter rule” restricts the number of flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) beyond a 1,250-mile radius. Since Missouri is within a 1,250-mile radius, these government restrictions make traveling to Washington, D.C. unnecessarily expensive and inconvenient due to limited competition. This regulation severely restricts our ability to affordably travel to our nation’s capital.

With competition artificially suppressed and choices limited for air travel, the price for plane tickets into Washington, D.C. are unnecessarily expensive. In fact, the Washington, D.C. region has the highest ticket prices for any metropolitan area in the country, with travel to and from Dulles International Airport (IAD), costing passengers an average of nearly $500 per ticket.

The government needs to lift restrictions and allow free market principles to dictate the price of airfare in the region. Manipulating competition favors one airline and one airport, leaving Missouri families, students, and business leaders with unaffordable access to Washington, D.C.

I encourage Senators Hawley and Schmitt, as well as the entire Missouri delegation, to support additional flights at DCA as a part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Act. There is a bipartisan proposal in the works that would add four new flights, which is a reasonable compromise from the 28 new flights originally proposed in the U.S. House. The proposal also only adds flights – it does not take them away. Missourians only stand to benefit from updating this policy.

It is critical that we, as Republicans, support legislation that promotes competition and personal choice. The free market is the foundation of sound economic policy, and the freedom to choose is a key component. Missourians deserve to reap its benefits, and that includes air travel. It is time to modernize this protectionist policy that is taking the power away from the American consumer.

Our location should not mean limited and unaffordable access. Missourians should be able to fly into DCA, without worrying about cost or convenience. I encourage the Missouri delegation and all Members of Congress to support the additional flights at DCA as part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization bill. Missouri and the rest of the country are counting on you.

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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.

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