| Thousands of Western Washington residents in the | | | | Compare the takeoff and landing conditions in Mexico |
| United States fly to Mexico every year for vacation. | | | | City's only airport to Sea-Tac International Airport |
| That is why I was stunned to see an article in USA | | | | that serves the Seattle Metropolitan Area of 3.3 |
| Today (7-5-07) on the Benito Juarez International | | | | million residents and ranks as the 15th largest metro |
| Airport in Mexico City. Five facts make Benito Juarez | | | | area in the United States. Seattle does not even rank |
| interesting and dangerous: | | | | among the top 90 metro areas in the world. |
| 1) It serves a metropolitan area of 20 million people, | | | | Sea-Tac International Airport has two runways. |
| more than three times the size of Washington | | | | Mexico City has experienced extraordinary growth in |
| State's 6.5 million population. | | | | the last 75+ years, growing from a city of 1 million in |
| 2) It is the ONLY airport in Mexico City. | | | | 1929 to a metro area of 20 million today. |
| 3) It has two runways that are so close together | | | | Mexico City ranks as the second largest metro area |
| that modern jets cannot use them simultaneously. | | | | in the world today. Only Tokyo is a larger metro area |
| 4) During peak periods as many as 62 planes take | | | | with 35 million. New York-Newark ranks third with |
| off and land per hour, which is more than the | | | | 18.7 million. |
| airport's official capacity of 54. | | | | I have never flown to Mexico but I will avoid Mexico |
| 5) Plans to build another airport to serve the capital | | | | City's only airport when I do. |
| were canceled in 2002. Apparently machete-wielding | | | | It reminds me of what President Ronald Reagan said |
| residents revolted against the low price the | | | | when the press chided him for not spending more |
| government offered the residents in exchange for | | | | time working in the Oval Office. "People tell me that |
| the land on the planned site. | | | | hard work never killed anyone," replied Reagan, "but I |
| About 763,000 Americans fly into the Mexico City | | | | figure, why tempt fate? |
| airport every year, according to USA Today. | | | | |