One lucky low-cost or ultra low-cost carrier will soon get a prize: Enough slots at capacity-controlled Newark Liberty Airport to operate eight round trips a day at one of the New York area's busiest airports.
The slots will be awarded by FAA after a court victory by Spirit Airlines blocked the agency from deleting the slots, previously used by Southwest Airlines, which moved its New York operations to LaGuardia Airport.
United, the dominant carrier at Newark had asked for them to be dropped, basing its request on the idea that decongesting the airport would help everyone. It did not, of course, volunteer to surrender any of its own slots.
The plan to give the slots to a low-cost carrier is based on the hope of lowering fares from Newark, often the highest in the NY metropolitan area. JetBlue, which has plans to expand at Newark as part of its alliance with American, has said it will apply for the slots. The other low-cost carriers at the airport, including Spirit, Allegiant, Frontier and Sun Country, have not said if they will apply also.
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