wrote in message
oups.com...
So the DC ADIZ is not a sensible measure. But the airlines, airline
passengers, such as DC bureaucrats and congresspeople, have sufficient
political influence to impose this useless affront to private flyers.

I'm largely with you but I just don't see this having to do anything
with the airlines. DCA was shut down for a long time after 9/11 which
damn near killed US Airways, among other things.

Who then partook in a major boondoggle of a free money grant, plus matching
easy loans from the US government. Compared to the shutdowns and
restrictions non-airlines have suffered, even the DCA closure was
inconsequential, and the affected airlines were compensated, far beyond what
was necessary IMHO.

This looks to me like
nothing more than a stupid internal bureaucracy at work.

IMHO, it's clear that the airlines have wielded considerable political clout
to ensure their unfettered access to the airspace around DC, and quite
possibly could have used that clout to as well suppress non-airline flight.
They probably were aiming primarily at business jet traffic (since that's
their main competition), not caring (or possibly not even thinking about)
that even smaller aircraft are affected as much or more.

Of course, like practically everyone else, the airlines are incredibly
short-sighted, believing that suppression of all other aviation in favor of
themselves will be good for them. But in the long run, a healthy aviation
industry requires a broad spectrum of uses. An industry made of only
airlines is unlikely to prosper at all, and any significant disruption could
eliminate it all together. Diversity is the best way to protect the
industry, and right now that diversity is severely threatened.

Pete