‘It’s purely additive’; Some advocates say Jackson will not lose flight to Washington, D.C.
JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Heated debates happened in Washington, D.C. over a bill that would eliminate the “Perimeter Rule” around the Reagan National Airport.
According to Brian Walsh with Capital Access Alliance, that wouldn’t be the case.
“This would, in no way, impact Jackson or other regional airports in terms of losing flights or swapping flights out,” Walsh said.
Capital Access Alliance is a coalition of businesses and organizations from around the county, specifically located outside of the current DCA perimeter who support the bill and want the perimeter rule to be abolished.
The Perimeter Rule currently only allows airports within 1,250 miles of the Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. to have a direct flight to them.
If dropped, Walsh says cities out west like Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Salt Lake City, Utah, would also be allowed to land at DCA.
“This bill would authorize adding on top of all of the existing flights, up to 28 additional flights. Ultimately, the only way a flight gets canceled from Jackson is if American Airlines chooses to cancel it,” Walsh explained.
Mississippi travelers like George Pickett say there’s economic and educational value in each state having a direct flight to D.C.
“It’s possible to go to Washington, [D.C.] and leave here at 6 a.m., get to Reagan at about 9:30 a.m., have an afternoon full of meetings, and then leave there at 7:55 p.m. and be home the same night,” Pickett explained. “So, it is a tremendous convenience.”
“There was a group of about 20 high school kids, and they were so excited to get to go to Washington and see how their nation’s capital operates,” he continued.
As far as the argument against available space for flights at DCA, Walsh says new developments at DCA should help.
“Eighteen months ago, they completed a $1 billion terminal expansion at DCA that was specifically designed to support thousands of more passengers,” Walsh said. “So, I think it raises the question of, you know, ‘Which is it?’ And I think we know the truth, which is that DCA does have the capacity to add more flights to have more passengers. The bureaucracy running the airports, though, is resisting that.”
JMAA released the following statement regarding the possible changes to the perimeter rule after Wednesday’s article.
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