Congress is arguing about a Washington airport. Some worry it could affect KC flights

On a recent Southwest flight from Washington to Kansas City, as some passengers see-sawed their carry-on bags out of the overhead compartment, several stayed put in their seats for the next leg of the trip — Las Vegas.

The flight originated at Washington’s Reagan National Airport, which is subject to federal rules limiting how many planes go beyond a 1,250 mile perimeter that ends just past Wichita. To fly direct to Las Vegas, there’s only one flight, operated by American Airlines.

Some lawmakers want that to change. They’re pushing to add more direct flights from western states to Washington’s most convenient airport – the one closest to the Capitol and often used by lawmakers rushing to get to the airport after voting on a Thursday afternoon.

The debate is just one small part of a larger negotiation over the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, a process which sets industry standards on issues like flight safety and consumer protections, including preventing airlines from charging parents extra to sit next to their children.

But as lawmakers negotiate its passage in a gridlocked Congress, some in Kansas City are worried the debate will affect flights going through Kansas City’s shiny, new, $1.5 billion terminal.

“That’s the theory,” said Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican who serves on the committee in charge of writing the FAA reauthorization bill. Moran opposes the changes to Reagan airport.

The argument over flights at Reagan is just one part of a much larger negotiation over FAA reauthorization. Currently, the Senate version of the bill is stuck while lawmakers disagree over how many flight simulator training hours pilots should be allowed to apply to the 1,500 hours they need for the type of license that allows them to fly for the major U.S. airlines.

But the provision shows how one small change in Washington can cause a ripple effect across the country, affecting cities thousands of miles away. So far the major airports in Missouri and Kansas – Kansas City International, Eisenhower in Wichita, and Lambert in St. Louis – have not taken a public stance on the number of flights going through Reagan.

Neither has the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. But they’re paying attention.

“We are concerned about the proposed rule change and have been talking with our diverse group of stakeholders and our federal delegation about the issue,” said Pam Whiting, the vice president of communications for the chamber. “The KC Chamber does not want to lose nonstop service from Kansas City to any city and, with the opening of the new KCI, we have been working to support increased nonstop domestic and international service.”

The number of flights at Reagan airport are limited by two factors – the number of “slots” or how many flights are allowed to come into and leave the airport and a 1,250 perimeter. There are only 20 round trip flights to 10 cities outside the perimeter: Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Austin and San Juan.

Advocates for the bill – including a lobbying group that formed called the Capital Access Alliance, have said the proposals would be adding flights, not taking any existing flights away. They say it will increase competition and help bring the cost down.

“Read the bill,” said Brian Walsh, a spokesman for the Capital Access Alliance. “It does not call for canceling or removing existing flights.”

Walsh’s group has launched an advertising campaign, urging people to support additional flights because it will make it easier for children to visit the nation’s capital. Their opposition, the Coalition to Protect America’s Regional Airports, has warned that increasing flights will cause more delays and create more noise problems for nearby residents.

The way airlines operate flights may make the issue more complicated. Because there are a limited number of slots available at Reagan airport, cities have to prove that there’s enough demand to make the flight worthwhile economically for an airline. For years, Eisenhower airport in Wichita pushed for a direct flight to Reagan.

In July, the airport was able to announce the effort came into fruition – starting January 8, people will be able to fly directly from Wichita to Reagan airport, which is a short metro ride from downtown Washington.

“It’s something that this region has wanted for a long time,” said Valeria Wise, the air service and marketing manager at Eisenhower airport. “We certainly don’t want to lose it.”

But in order to get that flight, another city had to lose a flight.

If more flights were added at Reagan, especially longer flights outside of the perimeter, airlines could choose to focus on those flights and eliminate flights to smaller, regional airports. Take the Southwest flight to Las Vegas that stops in Kansas City. Some worry that if people were able to go directly to Las Vegas on Southwest, it might eliminate the need for a stop in Kansas City, getting rid of two legs – one from Washington to Kansas City and one from Kansas City to Las Vegas.

A report by the Government Accountability Office found that if airlines were able to choose between using their slots on longer flights outside the perimeter and smaller flights within the perimeter, they would choose the longer flights because they earn more money.

“Many selected stakeholders agreed that if the perimeter rule were lifted, airlines would reduce or discontinue service for some passengers traveling to or from smaller communities within the perimeter,” the report says.

The current proposals floating around Congress would not lift the perimeter rule entirely. A House bill that proposed adding 28 daily round trip flights to Reagan airport was pared down to just seven round-trip flights when it was proposed as an amendment to the House’s version of the FAA reauthorization in July.

The amendment failed, but lawmakers in Kansas and Missouri were split. In Missouri, the two Democrats voted against adding more flights to Reagan airport while the Republicans – including Rep. Sam Graves, who was the sponsor of the FAA reauthorization bill – voted for the changes.

In Kansas, Republican Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes voted to add the additional flights while Reps. Sharice Davids, a Democrat, and Jake LaTurner, a Republican, voted against it.

There’s currently a proposed amendment to the Senate version of the bill that would pare things down even farther, adding just four new flights to Reagan airport. But that vote has been stalled for months as lawmakers argue over whether more flight simulator training hours should count toward a certain type of pilot certificate.

In the meantime, Kansas City officials have been cautious in taking an official stand. That includes Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas, who frequently flies from Kansas City to Washington to participate in events at the White House and U.S. Capitol.

“City leadership has engaged in productive discussions with our representatives in Washington related to ensuring our world-class Kansas City International Airport maintains—and can continue to grow—Kansas City’s aviation footprint,” said Morgan Said, Lucas’ chief of staff. “We appreciate our federal delegation’s ongoing partnership in ensuring Kansas City and our airport are well-represented in all FAA Reauthorization discussions and otherwise.”