Washington National Airport
 

How important is it to your operation to have GA return to National Airport? What kind of security would you put up with inorder to have access again?

I personally think GA should be allowed back in since I don't believe we pose any type of risk, at least on the corporate level. If security is the problem, why not have "gateway" airports scattered around the country that we can clear some sort of screening process. I heard for the Salt Lake City Olympics, we may have to clear US Customs from certain gateway airports before we can fly into SLC. Why couldn't this process be expanded to cover traffic into DCA? We could make a "gateway airport", an airport that has US Customs on site already, and after screening, we can only fly directly to Washington. For the outbound traffic, have Customs inspect the aircraft be departure.

In my opinion I think its edging on irrational that the NSC has locked out 91 and in some cases 135 bizjets from places like National. If I recollect the tragic events of Sept 11 correctly, it was not a Falcon 50, Challenger 604 or Gulfstream V that fell into the hands of terrorists and took many thousands of lives.

This is archetypal of our government in responding to an issue (any issue). A crisis develops with the copier machine in the office, the government’s answer is to throw the toaster in the lounge out the window and post armed federal agents at all area bowling alleys.

In short their actions make no sense and almost always go squirting off in the opposite direction.

Having said that and also going on record, as saying I believe restricting GA into any airport is unreasonable. I personally don’t miss one bit “Disneyland on the Potomac” at all. We now go into IAD or HEF if we cannot get a slot at IAD.

Three days ago we crewed out of MTN near Baltimore to PBI and our pax were from Arlington and I asked them if the minded the long drive to MTN. They said not at all, that it (the long drive) still beat the airlines hands down.

We have seen an increase of charters approaching 38% since the 11th all of them new faces, people with families flying to resort destinations instead of our usual pre 11th travelers, the biz types flying into and out of the major business city centers with same day return trips.

The airlines (at least the US based airlines), I believe have lost a good portion of their business travelers to us and will slowly start to lose the non-business traveler first class vacationers as well over time. In the past two weeks I have had more pickups out of Burbank-Glendale and Van Nuys than I have had all year. Mostly Hollyweird types who now are flying charter 100% of the time. One gent flew us from Burbank to San Diego and back inside of four hours, he told us the he refused to fly the airlines ever again.

Sorry for rambling a bit.

TP

Not surprised at all about the increase in charter/fractional flights. Our customers have asked for another aircraft, and we will go shopping shortly. They have had it with so called "airline security".

I'm afraid that kid in Tampa has done to GA what hijacking four 757/767's did to the airlines. Watching last night, all the major news outlets are calling for big restrictions on GA pilots and airplanes. It seems they believe that a Cessna 172 has more explosive power than any other mode of transportation, never mine the fact that this kid only killed himself Saturday. How many people were killed in Israel in the last couple of months by car bombs, or how about somebody driving their SUV into a crowd because they were refused entry into a nightclub <img src="mad.gif" border="0">

I'll take my chances with GA, any day <img src="wink.gif" border="0">

[ 08 January 2002: Message edited by: fokkerjet ]</p>

If it was up to me I would NEVER go back to DCA, I hate the place. IAD is just fine.

How's the -EX treating you con-pilot? :)

The little I've gotten to use it, great. We don't get it full time until the end of June, Dassault is using it as a demo. Thanks