United Airlines Plans to Halt JFK Service Unless It Gets More Slots

United resumed flying out of J.F.K. in early 2021 after a five-year hiatus, and for more than a year it has explored ways to expand there to better compete with other airlines. Earlier in the pandemic, United operated more flights at J.F.K. by taking advantage of capacity that wasn’t being used by other carriers, but now that travel has recovered meaningfully, those airlines have reclaimed their takeoff and landing authorizations.

In a statement, the F.A.A. said it was always exploring ways to safely and more efficiently use airspace in busy areas.

“The agency must consider airspace capacity and runway capacity to assess how changes would affect flights at nearby airports,” it said. “Any additional slots at J.F.K. would follow the F.A.A.’s well-established process of awarding them fairly and to increase competition.”

If United were to exit J.F.K., New Yorkers would still have access to the airline at Newark Liberty International Airport, which is a United hub. The airline is scheduled to operate more than 12,000 round-trip flights to more than 100 destinations out of Newark this month.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/07/business/united-airlines-jfk-airport.html