High-stakes lobbying erupts ahead of vote on DCA long-haul flights

What they're saying: "National just doesn't have the capacity to take on these additional flights," Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said against a backdrop of summer travelers yesterday at National Airport.

• Dulles is 14 times larger, Warner said, and that National already serves 1 million more passengers annually than Dulles.

What's happening: The Senate is currently handling a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reauthorization bill, which some senators would like to use as a vehicle for expanding National's reach.

Catch up fast: Delta, along with several business groups and lawmakers from the West, is supporting a coalition called Capital Access Alliance, which commissioned a study in April that said National's "perimeter rule" is an "antiquated" relic that drives up airfares.

• A bill called the DCA Act would add 28 roundtrip flights outside the 1,250-mile perimeter rule. It has bipartisan support in the House and Senate. There are currently 20 roundtrip flights exempted from perimeter rule.

A recent FAA memo said that adding 25 more daily roundtrip exemptions to the limit would increase delays by nearly 33%.