Consumers Union filed comments in support of the FAA’s proposal to reform the way airline flight “slots” are allocated at the capacity-constrained airports in the New York City area — LaGuardia, JFK, and Newark. In the past, airlines have been allowed to hold on to slots indefinitely — essentially to treat them as their own property — and to trade them privately among themselves, leading to concerns that the limited capacity is not being used efficiently and that established airlines are hoarding slots to block competitive entry by lower-cost airlines. We are encouraging the FAA to adopt approaches that will open more slots to bidding by all airlines, require airlines to make efficient use of the slots or give them up, and prevent private trading of slots in ways that stave off competition.
For the full comments, click here.