Industry leaders lauded the decision of a U.S. District Court of Appeals yesterday that precludes the January slot auction planned by the Department of Transportation to auction slots at the New York area airports. The ruling came after Air Transport Association, Continental Airlines and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey filed for the stay unless and until the court formally considers and rules on the merits of the case.
“One thing we do understand that was made crystal clear at today’s Crystal City seminar – auctioning slots at JFK, LaGuardia and Newark will certainly make it more expensive and less convenient – perhaps even impossible—for passengers from the 75 percent of the nation that relies exclusively on regional airlines to fly into New York,” said Regional Airline Association President Roger Cohen, after DOT’s auction workshop. “RAA’s member airlines greatly appreciate today’s ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals temporarily halting the Bush Administration’s scheme to auction off access to New York’s Kennedy, LaGuardia and Newark Airports.”
The Air Transport Association added its applause. "We are pleased that the U.S. Court of Appeals recognized the irreparable harm that auctions would have caused passengers,” said ATA President and CEO James C. May. “The Court's ruling puts a firm halt to the Department of Transportation's ill-advised, illogical auction scheme. This is a clear win for passengers, as the department was stopped from proceeding with an ideological experiment that would have resulted in higher fares, less service and a confiscation of airline property."
The ruling came on the heels of an FAA Washington meeting outlining the slot auction. The FAA web site included an advisory that the list of all available slots at John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport and Newark (N.J.) Liberty International Airport will be posted online on Dec. 29. The agency planned to conduct the three auctions over the Internet on Jan. 12 but the agency had also planned a mock auction for Jan. 8.