North Carolina job creators and families pay more to fly to Washington, D.C. because of an outdated, big government, anti-free-market air travel rule that makes airfare less affordable. Since the 1960s, the federal ‘perimeter rule’ has governed the number of flights that are allowed to take-off and land outside a 1,250-mile perimeter of Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). But DCA just added an entire new terminal in 2021. So, yes, Federal funds were used to build infrastructure that could support more flights into Reagan, but now Federal policy is blocking more flights into DCA.
Only in Washington, D.C. would this make sense. Someone in the private sector would go bankrupt following this same logic.
That’s why North Carolina voters have elected free market advocates like Ted Budd and Thom Tillis to the US Senate. Sens. Budd and Tillis understand how price competition in the free market is better for consumers. When the government is picking winners and losers, that’s bad for consumers. Right now, travelers seeking to travel to Washington, D.C. face the highest ticket prices in the nation due in part to this outdated aviation policy.
But Sens. Budd and Tillis can vote to modernize this dated rule that limits price competition and makes it more expensive for North Carolinians to fly to Washington, D.C.
I serve as the Vice Chair of the North Carolina Republican Party, and yes, I support the free market. This rule by its very nature goes against the grain of the free market by limiting competition and — in turn — keeping flight prices higher for consumers. But I’m not supporting this policy for political reasons, I’m supporting it because it’s important for North Carolinians to have affordable access to efficient pathways to Washington, D.C.
North Carolina is one of the top target destinations for job creators in the fields of technology and innovation. Job creators in these industries frequently need to travel to Washington, D.C. when lawmakers or regulatory agencies have questions.
My hometown, Fayetteville, has seen tremendous economic development in recent decades thanks to the many public/private partnerships that support our military. People assume anyone who has a federal contract must be a big business with a lot of money to burn, but a lot of these suppliers are small business owners. Mom & Pop businesses with the experience to provide valuable support to our U.S. military but also the necessity of running a lean operation. These are the sort of folks being forced to spend more for aviation access to partners in Washington, D.C.
I’ve made my free-market case and I’ve noted my hometown observations, but there’s another reason I strongly support getting rid of an outdated policy that drives up travel costs to Washington, D.C. I want our schools and students to be able to better afford to visit Washington, D.C. I’m a schoolteacher and, as such, I don’t think traveling to DC should bust the bank every time North Carolina students have an opportunity to go learn more about our great country in Washington, D.C.
Modernizing the perimeter rule is as important to everyday travelers in North Carolina as it is to our state’s larger economic growth and ability to attract long-term investment. Cost savings for consumers and more efficient flights into and out of our nation’s policymaking hub will benefit our business owners, innovators, and entrepreneurs by making the Tar Heel State an even more attractive place to do business.
Today, traveling by plane is a common — if not routine — event in many Americans’ lives. As it continues to be a critical mode of transportation, lawmakers should prioritize aviation policies that align with today’s high-demand, fast-paced travel ecosystem. They should start by modernizing the perimeter rule.
The Capital Access Act, which is currently in the Senate Commerce Committee, gives us an opportunity to reach that goal.
No regional flights will be negatively affected by this legislation. The proposals under consideration would only add flights, not take them away — potentially helping smaller regional airports gain new direct service to DCA.
Sens. Tillis and Budd and the entire North Carolina delegation should fully support these critical legislative measures. Maybe this rule made sense in the 1960s when it was first put in place, but it no longer does. Let’s do away with this decades-old, anti-competitive regulation and move forward on a path supported by the free market.
Susan Mills is the Vice Chairwoman of the North Carolina Republican Party
