RELEASE: Capital Access Alliance Launches New Video, Digital Advertising Campaign To Improve Access To National Capital Region

Ads Will Run in Washington, D.C., California, Texas, Utah, Virginia And Washington State

Washington, D.C. – Capital Access Alliance (CAA), a nationwide coalition seeking to make air travel to and from Washington, D.C. more accessible and affordable, released a new video today as part of a multi-state digital advertising campaign to inform lawmakers, stakeholders and the public about the negative consequences of an outdated Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation known as the “perimeter rule.” The 30- and 15-second ads will run in Washington D.C., California, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Washington State.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) is the only airport in the country subject to a federally-imposed perimeter rule, which was established by Congress in 1966. Only seven airlines are authorized to operate just 20 daily round trips to 10 beyond-perimeter destinations – less than six percent of daily scheduled flights from DCA. CAA is urging Congress to authorize 20 to 25 additional flights at DCA when they take up the FAA Reauthorization bill this fall.

“Few people know that this nearly 60-year-old federal policy is making air travel into and out of the nation’s capital more inconvenient and expensive for passengers,” CAA spokesperson Brian Walsh said today. “The perimeter rule has resulted in 95 percent of beyond-perimeter markets being underserved, leaving millions of Americans with fewer choices for direct access to and from the capital region. Modernizing this outdated policy is essential to meet today’s demand, is better for the environment and will help give air travelers more choices at lower costs.”

The new video and advertising campaign follow CAA’s official launch and release of an extensive study which found that the current perimeter rule no longer serves its original purpose and outlines how Washington, D.C., metropolitan communities and consumers around the country could benefit from additional flights at DCA, a currently underutilized airport.

Among the study’s findings:

Air travel has increased 10-fold over the past 60 years, and 95 percent of beyond-perimeter markets are underserved.
The perimeter rule results in less competition, costing consumers more than $500 million annually in above-average flight prices. In fact, Washington D.C. has the most expensive domestic ticket prices compared across the top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas.
DCA is underutilizing its capacity compared to all airports in those same top 10 U.S. metropolitan areas. Adding more flights does not mean reassigning or taking away existing flights. Smaller or in-perimeter markets would still be served, while additional beyond-perimeter flights would help meet current demand.
Metropolitan areas not impacted by the perimeter rule have higher direct connectivity rates and provide higher levels of in-perimeter access. The perimeter rule costs $200 million in lost productivity due to more frequent connections.
The perimeter rule costs the Washington, D.C. region $290 million in federal and state tax revenue and approximately 5,500 lost jobs due to less incoming traffic.
The perimeter rule results in DCA emitting the highest CO₂ footprint per passenger among airports of the top U.S. metropolitan areas.
Adding 20 to 25 additional flights at DCA will allow more than 2,000 daily passengers to be connected non-stop to beyond-perimeter markets and save customers hard-earned dollars by lowering ticket prices through increased supply and competition.

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

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