Guide: What are airport slots, and how do they affect your flights?
By: The Points Guy – Read the full article here.
What is a slot?
A slot is an authorization for a flight to use a runway at a busy airport for either a takeoff or a landing. In the U.S., slots exist at airports where the Federal Aviation Administration has determined demand from airlines exceeds available space.
Without slot controls, the thinking goes, these airports would be so congested that it would be very difficult for flights to operate without delays.
At the most basic level, a “slot” refers to the right for a single takeoff or a single landing at a given scheduled time. Generally, they come in pairs — known as “slot pairs” in aviation vernacular — and owning a slot pair means an airline can operate one round-trip flight.
Takeoff and landing slots are generally dispersed throughout the day and week to balance air traffic levels and keep operations manageable.
Which US airports use slots?
In the U.S., the FAA tightly controls takeoffs and landings through the use of slots at just three airports.
Those are:
- LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
- Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)
There are four additional airports where the FAA has less stringent restrictions in place. Although they don’t use a formal slot system, the FAA still requires these airports to work closely in tandem with carriers to meter takeoffs and landings. Those are:
- Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR)
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
How are slots awarded?
It’s complicated.
Slots are typically awarded by the DOT — sometimes after a competitive application process — and regulated by the FAA.
In some cases, airlines submit applications to the federal government, and the DOT evaluates and awards the slots based on factors like the benefit to consumers, competition among airlines and connectivity for travelers.