DCA Circle 33 risk assessment and avoidance

[Roger Roger]

DCA is the only airport I bid avoid. Not only because it’s a •show, but partially.

 

[arkavgal]

It is an airport intended as a place for connecting passengers along with crew basing. Focus cities can be similar but they don't have anywhere close to the same diversity of destinations nor do they have massive crew bases.

American alone has flights from roughly 40 states to DCA. That's damn impressive. Hard to imagine being able to justify a route for a member(s) of Congress that probably at most of a given route no more than a few times a month. The flights still need to be profitable. Using DCA as a hub helps achieve profitability for those flights. It's interesting that LGA is still geographically restricted but DCA is not, although it used to be.

 

[N826AW]

American alone has flights from roughly 40 states to DCA. That's damn impressive. Hard to imagine being able to justify a route for a member(s) of Congress that probably at most of a given route no more than a few times a month. The flights still need to be profitable. Using DCA as a hub helps achieve profitability for those flights. It's interesting that LGA is still geographically restricted but DCA is not, although it used to be.

There is a perimeter for DCA but Congress has granted exceptions for flights to places like LA, SFO, SEA, etc.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Explain this to me like I am five.

What makes it a hub?

Because you can connect a lot of flights in a lot of cities and those cities are not considered hubs. So what’s the defining characteristic?

There’s not a strict definition and an airport can be a hub for some airlines and not a hub for others.

Think of it as a ratio. Given an airport, X pax (arriving and departing) are not at their origin or destination. Y pax (arriving and departing) are at their origin or destination.

So, think of X:Y as a ratio.

In other words, an airline can utilize an airport without that airport being needed to serve as origin or destination for passengers.

A pure hub, if there could be such a thing, wouldn’t have any pax departing or arriving from origin or destination.

The political aspect is an airport can grow without it necessarily benefiting a community.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

There’s not a strict definition and an airport can be a hub for some airlines and not a hub for others.

Think of it as a ratio. Given an airport, X pax (arriving and departing) are not at their origin or destination. Y pax (arriving and departing) are at their origin or destination.

So, think of X:Y as a ratio.

In other words, an airline can utilize an airport without that airport being needed to serve as origin or destination for passengers.

A pure hub, if there could be such a thing, wouldn’t have any pax departing or arriving from origin or destination.

The political aspect is an airport can grow without it necessarily benefiting a community.

Simplified, you could look at a ratio of pax connecting vs pax not connecting at an airport.

 

[CFI A&P]

It's interesting that LGA is still geographically restricted but DCA is not, although it used to be.

LGA is special… There is a radius, allegedly to prevent large airframes and noise, yet has flights to Salt Lake City, Denver and seasonally to Kalispell. Meanwhile they have pirouette climbs over the airport before turning on course, which keeps the noise over the airport longer?

 

[arkavgal]

LGA is special… There is a radius, allegedly to prevent large airframes and noise, yet has flights to Salt Lake City, Denver and seasonally to Kalispell. Meanwhile they have pirouette climbs over the airport before turning on course, which keeps the noise over the airport longer?

I doubt that argument holds water any longer. 767s can be used at LGA, but normally aren't. Air Canada sometimes uses them at LGA during holidays, so there is some precedence. I suppose that a louder aircraft like the 777 could theoretically be used at LGA if there wasn't a perimeter restriction. Kahului Airport, which has the same runway length as LGA, has 777 service to the US mainland. But I doubt LGA's taxiways and ramps could accommodate the 777's wingspan. 787 is out for the same reason. So a 767 is probably the largest aircraft LGA will realistically see, perimeter restriction or not.

The DC-10 and L-1011 used to operate at LGA. Maybe that's part of the reason why the perimeter restriction was implemented? I believe DEN was grandfathered in. LGA is another airport that never should have become a hub.

Anyway, sorry for the thread drift, OP.