WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Three retired airline pilots told me Palm Beach International Airport is becoming more like Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, because the skies are getting more crowded here.
These experienced pilots have flown out of both airports and said both are safe.
Retired pilot shares his insight with WPTV
I dug up just released numbers provided by the Palm Beach County Department of Airports.
PBI had both its busiest December ever and ended its busiest year for airport traffic. Reagan National saw roughly 24,000 overall flights last month compared with 18,000 for PBI.
However, the number of Palm Beach International flights are growing. Overall flights are up 21% from 2019.
I talked with a retired American Airlines pilot who has experience flying in and out of both PBI and Reagan National.
He said when investigators conclude what caused the collision in the nation's capital, there will be likely be changes to the procedures and rules of flying in and out of local airports.
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"I promise you the people in West Palm will be paying attention," said Jeff Rowland, who retired from American Airlines when he turned 65. "There will be changes made that will be better. They may be more restrictive in where you can't come within such and such of an area."
Another similarity between the airports in Washington, D.C. and West Palm Beach is security restrictions.
The Federal Aviation Administration imposes a one mile "no-fly zone" over Mar-a-Lago, when President Trump is at his home, forcing jetliners to alter their routes.
The nation's capital has several sites planes have to avoid.
Another difference is the FAA's "no-fly zone" over Mar-a-Lago only applies when the president is here.
The restrictions of flying over the White House, and other government buildings, in the nation's capital apply all the time.
