Sens. Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin gave their official endorsement in a letter to Transportation Secretary Rodney Slater, who is charged with determining whether or not to give the necessary landing and take-off slots at Reagan National Airport to Midwest Express Airlines.
Harkin and Grassley said the airline's application to provide twice daily nonstop service to Des Moines from Washington, DC, is "well-justified" and a direct result of their efforts over the past two years "to craft legislative language that phased out slots in Chicago and New York and created more opportunities for smaller carriers and small communities for service to National Airport."
In March, Congress passed an unprecedented $40 billion three-year aviation bill that included the Iowa senators' proposal to end the 30-year-old system that limited landings and take-offs at some of the nation's busiest urban airports. The outdated slot system gave major air carriers a competitive advantage over start-up and budget carriers. It stifled commercial aviation in under-served markets and prevented new air carriers from getting off the ground in Iowa.
"It's important to bring new carriers to Iowa airports because, for years, travelers coming to and from Iowa have paid some of the highest-per-mile airfares in the nation. The only way to change that is with meaningful airline competition. It will save Iowa travelers money, improve our ability to attract and keep a competitive business climate and high-paying jobs, and foster economic development in our hometown communities," Grassley said.
"The new flights would be good news for Iowa business and vacation travelers. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of increased interest by airlines serving Iowa," Harkin said. "Because the limitations on landing at National Airport are only being slightly relaxed, only a few additional cities will be chosen to receive non-stop service. Senator Grassley and I will be doing all that we can to have Iowa chosen for this benefit."
In their letter to Slater, Harkin and Grassley said that the Midwest Express application filed today squarely meets the criteria set forth for allocating National Airport exemptions. The awards are to go to new entrants and limited incumbents, small communities, or communities that currently do not have nonstop service to National Airport. "Midwest Express is a limited incumbent air carrier at National as defined by federal regulation; Des Moines is categorized as a small hub airport by your Department; and ... Des Moines has never had nonstop service to National Airport," the senators wrote.
Today, Grassley and Harkin also said that Iowans can be part of the process by making personal appeals to Slater to approve Midwest Express' bid for four slot exemptions at National Airport. "The merits are on our side in this case," they said. "Beyond that, it can't hurt to demonstrate enthusiastic support among Iowans."
Letters to the federal agency should be addressed to: The Honorable Rodney Slater, Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Room 10200, Washington, DC 20590.
Slater's decision regarding these slots is expected within the next two months.
The airport bill, which President Clinton is expected to sign this week, provides for the first time that all tax receipts and interest in the aviation trust fund will target spending for aviation purposes only. As a result, Iowa airports are in store for an infusion of $24 million next year alone that will spur maintenance, new construction, technology infrastructure and safety improvements for tarmacs across the state.
"Beefing up the federal investment in the nation's air transportation and traffic management systems will help cope with an unprecedented increase in the number of air travelers expected in the next decade. Estimates call for the 600 million passenger trips reached last year to exceed one billion by 2010," Grassley said.
"Extra funding for airports and the traffic control system is important for expanding air service to Iowans. This also important for expanding economic development to our state," Harkin said.