House Passes Aviation Bill Without Expanding Direct Flights to Reagan National Airport

The House on Thursday passed aviation safety and innovation legislation with broad bipartisan support after defeating a proposal to add more long-distance direct flights at the airport closest to the nation's capital.

"This bill is vital to America’s airport infrastructure, to our economy, and to the future of American leadership in aviation," Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves, R-Mo., said during floor debate.

Graves was among 205 House members who wanted to increase the number of direct flights in and out of Reagan National Airport and exempt those additions from a rule that limits most non-stop flights at the airport to 1,250 miles. Delta Air Lines lobbied for the change, but it fell short with 229 lawmakers voting against it.

Another chance may come when the Senate takes up its version of the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization, which will ultimately have to be reconciled with the legislation the House passed Thursday.

A notable shift occurred on the FAA bill after last week's mostly partisan defense bill vote that House Republicans loaded up with culture war amendments.

This time enough Republicans crossed the aisle to help Democrats defeat several conservative amendments to the bill, including ones attempting to block diversity initiatives and climate programs. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene's proposal to require airlines to reinstate pilots who lost their jobs because of COVID-19 vaccine mandates was also rejected.

Ultimately, the aviation measure passed 351-69.

The current FAA authorization expires at the end of September. The House bill would reauthorize the agency for five years while modernizing its organizational structure and regulations.

The measure would require airlines to be more transparent about their compensation policies in the event of flight delays or cancelations and calls for various regulations designed to make air travel easier on both passengers and workers.

The legislation attempts to address a U.S. pilot shortage by raising their retirement age from 65 to 67 and calls for maximum hiring of air traffic controllers. It also authorizes funding for airport infrastructure improvements and implements safety standards designed to address issues like runway incursions.

DCA Debate

But the issue that received the most attention was the debate over direct flights at DCA.

Lawmakers from areas with Delta hubs led the push to add slots for seven new direct flights, with bipartisan support from members who believed it would help expand access to the nation's capital and lower prices on some flights.

The Virginia delegation led the charge against the proposal, arguing DCA's small runway is already overburdened with the number of flights it has and adding more would exacerbate delays and safety issues.

Opponents also argued that lawmakers simply wanted more flights so they could get home quicker after work weeks in Washington since DCA is closer to the Capitol than other area airports.

The House defeated the proposal in a 205-229 vote Wednesday night. While the vote breached party lines, far more Republicans voted to add DCA flights than Democrats — likely a bad omen for the proposal's prospects in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

“This strong bipartisan vote of opposition should make it clear, as the Senate takes up their own FAA authorization, that proposals to weaken DCA’s slot and perimeter rules do not have majority support in the Congress,” Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., said in a statement.

Buttigieg Escapes Oversight

A proposal from Mary Miller, R-Ill., to obtain Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s flight records for the past three years was narrowly defeated, 216-219.

Republicans have sought to scrutinize Buttigieg’s use of tax-payer funded private jets, although he said he only does so when it’s cheaper or more efficient than flying commercial. But three Democrats — Reps. Katie Porter and Ted Lieu of California and Yadira Caraveo of Colorado — also voted to get Buttigieg's flight records.

One notable amendment the House adopted removed a provision in the bill to count 150 hours of flight simulator training toward the 1,500 required hours of flight time experience for pilots. The proposal, offered by Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., passed 243-191.

The Senate's consideration of the FAA bill has been delayed by a dispute over pilot training requirements. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and John Thune, R-S.D., have a bill to modernize training requirements that opponents say would undermine the 1,500-hour rule and compromise safety.

The leading pilots' union opposes that proposal, as well as the House bill's increase to the retirement age.