Right now, United Airlines accounts for more than 70 percent of the flights that travel to and from Newark Airport. According to www.nj.com, however, federal regulators may be loosening United’s dominance at EWR and introduce more airline competition to the airport.
Right now, because EWR is so greatly influenced by one carrier, airfares to and from the airport tend to be high. If more airlines are introduced, it will increase the competition, which will then increase competitive pricing and likely result in lower airfares.
In addition to increasing the number of airlines at EWR, the proposal would also help regulate delays and ease restrictions on how many flights are allowed to take off per hour. (Right now, EWR is allowed 81.) One problem that the airport frequently experiences is that airline carriers often don’t fill the departure slots they are assigned, which takes the opportunity to fill them away from other flights or other carriers. The proposed rules address this problem by suggesting a use-it-or-lose-it method so that slots have a better chance of always being filled.
If changes are made, they wouldn’t take effect until next year and if the proposed rules are approved, they would also apply to the other major airports in the area: LaGuardia and John F. Kennedy.
The proposed rules are as follows (courtesy of the Federal Register):
“The FAA proposes to replace the Orders limiting scheduled operations at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)… Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), and… LaGuardia Airport (LGA)… This proposal is intended to provide a longer-term and comprehensive approach to slot management at JFK, EWR, and LGA. The FAA proposes to maintain the limits on scheduled and unscheduled operations in place under the Orders, limit unscheduled operations at JFK and EWR, and require use of an allocated slot 80% of the time for the same flight or series of flights to retain historic precedence. The FAA also proposes five alternatives for a secondary market that would allow carriers to buy, sell, lease, and trade slots. The DOT proposes to review certain slot transfer transactions for significant anti-competitive effects and harms to the public interest…”
