For well over two years now, slot requirements have been waived at congested airports in the United States. That has finally changed, and it potentially has some significant implications for airlines.
Continue reading: FAA Ends Airline Slot Waiver Program: Implications?
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I suspect that for China (including Hong Kong), reciprocity will (in practice) be the singular deciding factor. We're only talking a total of less than a dozen RTs per day? They'll get a waiver IF the PRC gives US carriers a similar waiver.
Aeroflot has 2 RTs, and reciprocity isn't relevant: No US carriers have flown to Russia in many years (for economic, rather than political, reasons). In the unlikely event politics favors Aeroflot resuming service, I'm sure they can scrounge up 2 RTs/day.
But - what about Ukraine Int'l Airlines? They have a slot there. They aren't flying at the moment, but I can't imagine there'd be any political will to cut them off...
Should not be giving such countries slot waivers. Their fault for starting a war or pursuing stupid zero Covid policies. Airlines from these countries are extensions of their fascist governments. May they never return.
Slot waivers have already been gone for over a year for domestic flights at these airports. The only thing new is that now the waivers are gone for international flights. In general, they'll grant continued waivers based on reciprocity - so if the other country grants US carriers waivers for flights at those foreign airports, we'll grant them waivers. otherwise, tbd.
Just curious, can slots be leased? Surely those Chinese carriers would want to lease out their JFK/LAX/SFO slot to other airlines.
It's not likely that anything will change. Carriers will get exemptions where they cannot generate sufficient revenue to justify flying their slots.
And at Newark which was slot-controlled during the last downturn (great recession), UA has reduced its covid recovery schedule due to congestion after having those slot controls removed due to failure to use slots due to FAA requirements.
AA and B6 are still under a slot rehabilitation plan - AKA the Northeast Alliance - that was developed by the DOT in order to get AA's slot usage back to minimum levels which they did not meet even before covid.
UA left JFK in order to beef up its schedules at EWR and it is doubtful they will gain enough slots at the right times in order to regain entry unless AA fails to use its slots. UA's greatest hope to return to JFK comes from an overturn of the NEA or at least the slot-sharing provisions between AA and B6.
My assumption is they can be, or at least be "assigned" - after all, look at how many slots Delta/American/United have that are, in fact, Republic/Skywest/Endeavor/Envoy/etc.
Some of Cathay's slots were generally at less ideal times, including late evening departures and early morning arrival / departures.
Could CX slot squat if forced to? i would love to see CX return to 5th freedom flights. a JFK-YYZ flight - similar to what LATAM used to fly (both as LAN and TAM) would be great. CX should already have authority for this 5th freedom from the JFK-YVR flight.
Or CX can be really aggressive and try a round-the world flight. a JFK-LHR fifth freedom flight would allow CX to operate an route with significant demand while holding slots at two airports. It would compete against it's one world partners, but there were rumors about this route pre-covid, slots were just the issue.
I could also see CX doing more cargo only flights. Historically passenger flights used anchorage as a refueling point and i'd love to see this again.
Wow, you are woefully ignorant. Or drunk. Hopefully just drunk rather than being as obtuse as your comment makes you seem.
Regional airline slots are held by the major airline which does the scheduling and is the marketing carrier.
It is different from a change in marketing carriers.
also, with the exception of AA and its mainline partners AS and B6, the nationality of the operating carrier changes. International slots are governed by treaty while domestic slots are not.
The DOT is not going to take away Chinese slots. If they did, US carrier would be negatively affected by the chinese govt in retaliation from serving Beijing, Shanghi, HK...
I don't think it's such a big deal to grant a waiver. Those slots won't go unused. The FAA would just allow for temporary rights like the ones United had.
So if Cathay got a waiver for a year, I'm sure someone else would be happy to pick up those slots even if it's temporary.
Due to these slot requirements SWISS (LX) has again started now to fly twice daily ZRH-JFK as it was pre-pandemic. To start this venture (now with again a total of 4 flights from ZRH or GVA to NYC) for the winter schedule is quite challenging, while in summer the remaining 3 flights were always full.
That isn’t exactly correct. U.S. air services agreements never guarantee slots to foreign carriers, they only pledge non-discriminatory treatment when the foreign carrier applies for slots. And they aren’t “treaties,” they are “Executive Agreements.”