One new U.S. Senator flies private to work each day, and takes a private jet home in the evenings. And he does it at a restricted airport, too.
Senator Jim Justice (R-W.V.) travels on a Cessna Citation V from Greenbrier Valley Airport in Lewisburg, West Virginia to Washington National Airport. Almost no one has been able to fly private to DCA since 9/11. Then when the day’s business is done, he takes the jet back home.
Justice owns Greenbrier Resort, 15 minutes from that airport and a four hour drive to D.C. He was Governor of West Virginia, and says he hasn’t had a chance to find a place to live yet in the District so he takes the jet and pays for it out of pocket. D.C., it seems, doesn’t have hotels with suites.
On Tuesday, Justice took off from West Virginia at 9:54 a.m. and was in D.C. by 10:37 a.m. Justice then took off at 4:27 p.m., arriving in West Virginia by 5:05 p.m.
The plane started flying between Lewisburg and DCA on Jan. 14, the day Justice was sworn into the Senate.
Private flights into the airport are exceedingly rare, given its proximity to government facilities on the other side of the Potomac. When slots were created for National airport, there was an assumption that 10% of takeoffs and landings would be private. There are now days where no private flights operate. There are some government aircraft, and private flights have to comply with the TSA’s DCA Access Standard Security Program.
- Pre-approval by TSA
- Generally must originate from a gateway airport staffed with security personnel qualified to screen the aircraft, passengers, baggage, and crew
- An armed security officer who has had a TSA threat assessment, specialized training, and agency authorization must be on board
- Names and details for all passengers and crew must be submitted for TSA clearance
In addition, flights have to comply with D.C. Special Flight Rules Area and the Flight Restricted Zone around the airport, including mandatory flight plans, transponder codes, and two-way radio communication.
Justice was once a billionaire but now reportedly has a negative net worth. Lenders have sued over unpaid bills. The Greenbrier, which he acquired out of bankruptcy for $20 million in 2009, was nearly auctioned off in 2024 to satisfy defaulted loans though Justice managed made partial payments to delay foreclosure by making partial payments. Employees of the Greenbrier at one point received notice that their health insurance would be cancelled for non-payment.
Distressed debt owed by Justice has reportedly been acquired by an Emirati sovereign wealth fund, and he’s had a helicopter seized by Russians over debts, raising questions about the ability of the Senator to act independently.
(HT: Dan R)
Is this that “Common Sense Revolution” some of you have been celebrating? Because it just sounds like cronyism, favoritism, and corruption. Like, if his net worth truly is negative, maybe he should just drive, or for his health, walk, for once.
He’s got the dog and he probably needs several levers and pulleys to get in and out of bed each day. I doubt a hotel suite would cut it for him.
He could barely breathe during the RNC he’s so large
Other than prohibitions on private jets why should anyone care how he gets to work if he’s paying out of pocket? Would you prefer that he take Greyhound? I’m more concerned with is record in the senate.
If it’s paid for out of his own pocket…. Don’t see how it’s a problem
“his own pocket” in Washington translates from campaign donations- probably from coal
The Fürer says it’s OK- quit whining elections have consequences.
All is normal at DCA. Undoubtedly, despite the average high net worth of the average passenger, a significant number of passengers are bankrupt, 90 days late on an affinity credit card payment, or unpaid taxes, or financial illiterates. I suppose they have fair politican representation by the likes of Senator Jim Justice (R-W.V.)
How much do the IRS and TSA talk to each other? And does the scanner imaging machine also double as free health care scanner screening? Inquiring minds want to know, how intrusive government is in our high flying lifestyle.
The Greenbriar, once a lucrative resort and where I was married, has long lost its luster. Now Justice family owned. I’ve not been back in years. It’s amazing how graft and greed can reduce property values. Ugh. We shall see how his new DC contacts improve the greenbriar’s future. And geez, doesn’t everyone want to take a quick flight home after an exhausting couple of hours?
I am sure any financial distress he has experienced will be relieved by his involvement in Washington.
@ David k. This was motivation to switch from governor to senator.
And yet sheep voted for him.
Blackhawk helicopter rammed right into a landing AA CRJ plane on approach to DCA from Wichita.
This kind of thing has always been on my mind when returning to DCA as the military helicopters would routinely go along the Potomac.
I lived right next to DCA for several years until recently and you see private plans flying in frequently, it’s not rare at all. In fact I always joke that you can tell when there is a 3-day holiday weekend happening because the number of private jets leaving on Friday really picks up, all the CEOs heading out to spend a long weekend with their families (or second families….).
Slightly off-topic, but given tonight’s tragedy near DCA, Washington National should be closed to commercial airlines permanently, and become a GA + small turboprop airport.
Any aircraft (jet or otherwise) carrying more than, let’s say, 30 passengers should be served at Dulles (IAD) or Baltimore (BWI). I am shocked that 911 didn’t prompt MWAA and/or lawmakers to ban jet traffic to DCA. In my opinion, the ban is long overdue!
DCA was built for a simpler era in the industry, and jets were never compatible with DCA. It has always been a mismatch!
I forgot to add this …
Just as Berlin-Tempelhof (THF), which served a national capital and had a similar runway length, and was shut down, DCA needs to be relegated to the history books!
And who cares about the inconvenience to Senators and Congresspeople that have to commute to their home districts … just let them deal! We just might get better quality politicians that are willing to endure the hassle!
Not a good time Gary :(((
@GUWonder
Incredibly tragic. The collision occurred around 9PM EST. It’s now nearly 6AM the following morning. I’m sure Gary is aware, and he’ll post soon about it, separately. AA5342 was a CRJ7 from ICT-DCA with about 60 people onboard. This post about the Senator’s private jet is merely coincidental. Be safe out there, everyone.