nene

I thought Biden rode/loved Amtrak?

Isn't a snowball's chance in He!! that Biden directed anything of the sort....his "handlers" did.

There's a market for slots now, and most are use or lose. If airlines want slots at Heathrow, or LGA etc, all it takes is the right amount of $$$. Most of those slots were paid for to begin with, or inherited through mergers and acquisitions.

C11DCA

There are three slot controlled airports in the USA. JFK, LGA, and DCA.

The big 3 hardly have a death grip on slots except for LGA (even then its really a Big 2)

top slot holders: https://www.faa.gov/about/office_org...stration/data/

JFK:
Delta 405
JetBlue 334
American 212

LGA:
Delta 511
American 327
United 94
Southwest 57
Air Canada 43
Jetblue 31
Spirit 22

DCA:
American 357
Delta 86
United 82
Southwest 82
JetBlue 60

CBreezy

With the exception of JetBlue in JFK, Delta and American own the overwhelming majority of slots at slot controlled airports.

Allegheny

The slot and gate structure of the US system has already undergone extensive review by the courts. The legacies will have a good defense against any actions by the DOT/FAA. The last largest merger US/AA was challenged as anti-competitive by the O'bama administration and the company prevailed. In the opening response from the company, the government backed down. The merger, with all its gate and slot conditions and restrictions was approved by a Bankruptcy judge, after challenges by other airlines to divest, and eventually by the DOT and FAA.

The key issue here is prior review. The current gate/slot situation has already undergone substantial review and the incumbents will sue in response, to keep the status quo. Many of those slots were purchased or sold as part of larger transactions. How would an airline be compensated for that?

Slots are probably available for sale but at a very large price. I wanted to open a doughnut shop at the corner of 5th avenue and Broadway in NY. They wanted too much money. I told em I could get twice the square footage in "Bug-Tussel" Alabama for 1 tenth the money. They said, "go back to Alabama."

C11DCA

LGA is the only one where the big 3 are the top 3 slot holders. Which is what the post I responded to claimed was true at all the slot airports, but it isn’t.

at DCA it’s American then everyone else fighting for the rest. Spirit had slots but gave them up in 2012. UsAir/American had to give up slots as part of their merger and Southwest and JetBlue won the bidding for those in 2014.

LCC’s and especially the ULCC’s have been such a dartboard approach to major airports compared to the legacies. Frontier willingly gave up on Denver. Southwest pulled out of EWR, and retreated from PHL/IAD/IAH (though now back) etc over the years, Spirit used to be a DTW airline and gave up on DCA.

yes UAL left JFK but are now back. But overall the legacies are more long term consistent in the major cities they fly from.

Caveman

Very profound Sir. Thank you