The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is reconsidering a longstanding rule that limits flights in and out of La Guardia Airport in Queens to a 1,500-mile radius. The authority should repeal the anachronistic policy, which was introduced decades ago to force airlines and travelers to use Kennedy Airport.

Kennedy might have needed a leg up in its early days, but it no longer needs protection from the much smaller La Guardia. Allowing longer-range flights at La Guardia would benefit travelers by giving them more choices and possibly lower fares to destinations on the West Coast and elsewhere.

The Port Authority’s perimeter rule for La Guardia was originally set at 2,000 miles in the 1950s and was reduced to 1,500 miles in 1984. The rule does not apply to flights on Saturday and flights to and from Denver, which is about 1,600 miles away. The authority has hired a consultant to study whether the rule still makes sense. Its board could vote to change or repeal the policy as early as next year after soliciting public comments.

Barriers to competition like the perimeter rule generally hurt consumers. For example, when a similar restriction on Dallas Love Field ended last year, fares fell on flights in and out of the city. Previously, federal law said planes with more than 56 seats that used Love Field could fly only to cities in Texas and seven other states. Allowing longer flights has encouraged spirited competition between Southwest Airlines, which uses Love Field, and American Airlines, which flies from the larger Dallas-Fort Worth airport.