Rules for Reagan Airport Passengers to Be Eased (30 Min Sit Rule)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/07/13/AR2005071301327.html

Passengers at Reagan National Airport will no longer have to sit in their seats during the first 30 minutes of every departing and landing flight, the Department of Homeland Security announced today along with of a larger restructuring of the agency.

The elimination of the rule won't happen immediately, but will begin shortly after the agency issues security directives to airlines, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said at a lunch with reporters and editors of The Washington Post.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told The Washington Post that passengers at Reagan National will no longer have to remain seated for during the first 30 minutes of every departing and landing flight. He also said the U.S. would collect 10 fingerprints from foreign visitors who enter the country through the US VISIT program.

He said it was time for the rule to be eliminated because he is confident that other security measures in place, such as hardened cockpit doors and better screening, make it unnecessary. The rule was put in place as a condition for reopening the airport after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

[MountainLaurel]

1. Hooray!

Speaking as a DC resident with a small bladder and a nervous stomach, this makes me very happy.

[Joey Liberal]

2. I still call it National Airport

Reagan did not deserve to have that airport named after him. If the fanatical, idiotic, freedom hating republicans have their way, there will be huge banners with Reagan's picture on every street corner in the USA.

[ovidsen]

4. You have company.

People in the DC area still refer to our capitol city's most convenient airport as "National". Hailing a cab and asking the driver to take you to "Reagan Airport" or "Reagan National" automatically marks you as either a tourist or a termimal Republican. Which is as it should be. :headbang:

[DemoTex]

3. As a retired airline captain who was based at DCA for years .. THANK GOD!

What an asinine rule that was. There is a point where a diversion becomes a safety-of-flight issue. The sit-rule generated diversions. Not good. As a former member of ALPA's Central Air Safety Committee and a current writer for several international aviation training and safety magazines, I welcome this infusion of sanity.
BTW: I was adamant about calling DCA "Washington National Airport" until my last flight into there (about 9/5/2001), as a captain on an MD-82. I would never let that other, alternate name, slip my lips. Also, ask me some day about flying the "River Visual" approach to DCA.

Captain Mac

[Vickers]

5. The other day, I flew out of there, and about 30 minutes in to the flight

they turned us around (couldn't pressurize properly). And since we went right back to Washington Reagan, everybody had to sit the whole time.

There were some people running to the bathroom after that flight!

[DemoTex]

8. Washington National! Washington National!

Not Washington Reagan! Quit that shit!

[Vickers]

9. Aaaaargh, I fucked up!

My apologies! :P

[alarcojon]

6. Agree with all the above, plus a question

I just flew out of DC National the day before the London bombings (whew!) and noticed that the abbreviation was DCA - no R for Reagan. Is that just the old abbreviation, which no one bothered to change?

[puddycat]

7. Oops! the airlines must have gotten tired of cleaning pee off of seats

Somebody high up put pressure on the govt to revise the rules. Either that, or a Homeland Security official's spouse had to wee-wee bad and wet themselves, raising all sorts of hell when they got home.

[RamboLiberal]

10. I probably in the minority here - but I think Chertoff actually

has some common sense and is an improvement over Rocky Ridge.