doc
Oct 20, 01, 9:59 am
Third runway up in the air
It has long been evident that competition between regional airports is good for the consumer and airlines alike. Leaders in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and many others long ago decided it is important to have more than one airport to serve the needs of their cities.
Metropolitan Washington, D.C., enjoys the benefits of three major airports within 60 miles of each other and, according to Spencer Dickerson, executive vice president of the American Association of Airport Executives, the region is better off for that. "The nice thing for people in the metropolitan Washington area is they have the choice of three airports. It's a win-win for passengers," he said.
Having more than one airport provided the D.C. region with far more than convenience — it saved the region from the potentially catastrophic impacts of being cut off from the rest of the country while Reagan National Airport was closed after the terrorist attacks in New York and the Pentagon. Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International airports were able to meet the region's air transportation needs while security concerns about Reagan National were addressed.
This should be a lesson for the Greater Seattle area. If Sea-Tac were to be disabled, or even partially closed, because of a natural or human-caused disaster, the economic impacts to this region would be far-reaching and long lasting.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/134356252_satrdr20.html
It has long been evident that competition between regional airports is good for the consumer and airlines alike. Leaders in cities such as Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago and many others long ago decided it is important to have more than one airport to serve the needs of their cities.
Metropolitan Washington, D.C., enjoys the benefits of three major airports within 60 miles of each other and, according to Spencer Dickerson, executive vice president of the American Association of Airport Executives, the region is better off for that. "The nice thing for people in the metropolitan Washington area is they have the choice of three airports. It's a win-win for passengers," he said.
Having more than one airport provided the D.C. region with far more than convenience — it saved the region from the potentially catastrophic impacts of being cut off from the rest of the country while Reagan National Airport was closed after the terrorist attacks in New York and the Pentagon. Dulles and Baltimore-Washington International airports were able to meet the region's air transportation needs while security concerns about Reagan National were addressed.
This should be a lesson for the Greater Seattle area. If Sea-Tac were to be disabled, or even partially closed, because of a natural or human-caused disaster, the economic impacts to this region would be far-reaching and long lasting.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/editorialsopinion/134356252_satrdr20.html