Congress up in the air about losing nonstop flights

[Zorro]

More than 100 members of Congress are upset that nonstop flights out of a Washington, D.C., airport to their hometowns could be a thing of the past, which they say isn’t fair to smaller communities.

The flight flap involves the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, and the chance that government regulators will force the new company to drop flights to duplicate routes at Ronald Reagan National Airport.

Reagan National is one of the few airports that experiences direct federal government oversight of its flight routes. For example, one rule from 1966 limits the number of longer-distance flights from Reagan, and changes need to be approved annually by Congress.

The lawmakers say their primary concern is the economic impact the moves would have on small- and medium-sized destination cities.

http://news.yahoo.com/congress-air-losing-non-stop-flights-152208495.html

[hollysmom]

1. no, their concern is

where it would affect them personally and their paying donors. the rest of us can be screwed and it would be OK with them. See sequestor and aviation.

[Psephos]

9. Yes, you nailed it. n/t

[Lasher]

2. Washington National Airport.

[davidpdx]

3. +1

I'll never call it the other name

[Lasher]

4. It was already named for our first President.

It was a travesty to have renamed it for such a dickhead.

[davidpdx]

5. True

Maybe they could rename Bob Hope Airport out in California that. Send Ronny back to where he belongs

[Lasher]

6. The Reagan Legacy Project is pervasive.

Big Money loves his policies, and so the same people bankroll propaganda foundations that perpetuate the many myths about him. But lucky for us, we have the intertubes.

The Myth of Reagan's 'Enormous Popularity'

The Real Reagan Legacy - Debunking Myths About Reagan

THE RONALD REAGAN YEARS - The Real Reagan Record

Ronald Reagan - The Bonzo Years

[Carolina]

7. Absolutely

Washington National Airport.

Many of us will never, ever call it by that other name especially since the said puppet fired PATCO! As a PATCO worker once said (paraphrased to avoid using that man's name): I'd rather stick a hot poker in the eye than refer to DCA by that name repukes foisted on it and us!

[Proud Liberal Dem]

8. Glad to see that they have their priorities straight!

[LiberalFighter]

10. I guess that competition works

[jmowreader]

11. The thing is...

How many people in...oh, Spokane or Sioux City...travel to DC often enough to need nonstop connectivity to National Airport?

Every Republican Congressman has about twenty black rotary dial desk telephones lined up on his or her credenza. If you have business in your district, those are quicker than planes.