Owen M. Whitaker (Editor)

Series: Transportation Infrastructure – Roads, Highways, Bridges, Airports and Mass Transit, Transportation Issues, Policies and R&D
BISAC: TEC002000

To help manage airport congestion, airlines operating at four U.S. airports—Washington’s Reagan National and the three major New York City area airports—must obtain operating authorizations called slots from the FAA to take off or land. Airlines operating out of Reagan National also may not operate flights beyond a 1,250-mile perimeter without congressional approval. In addition to the 24 flights (12 round trips) previously approved, Congress recently authorized 16 more beyond-perimeter flights (8 round-trips) at Reagan National – flights that the airport authority fears will adversely affect Reagan National and the authority’s ability to continue servicing its debt.

Some airlines seeking to serve slot-controlled airports assert that slot control rules cause the airports to be underutilized or used inefficiently. This book reviews the effects of adding more beyond-perimeter flights from Reagan National; and how well slot control rules are working to reduce congestion, while maximizing capacity and encouraging competition. Also discussed are slot allocation and airline schedule data using a statistical model, and interviews with FAA officials and others. (Imprint: Nova)