City of Houston and American Airlines, Inc. v. Federal Aviation Administration

JOHN R. BROWN, Circuit Judge:

This flight from Houston, Texas to our Nation’s Capital takes us to both Dulles International and Washington National Airports. The Administrative Procedure Act (APA), 5 U.S.C. § 701 et seq., will serve as our flight plan, and the Supreme Court as air traffic control. In the course of our flight, our passengers — the City of Houston, American Airlines and the Federal Aviation Administration 1 — will be informed of our conclusion that Department of Transportation regulations imposing a “perimeter rule” upon flights to and from Washington National Airport are valid…