Things are getting interesting in US Airways/Delta slot swap. You’ll recall that the DOT said “yes” — but only if the two airlines sold off 20 slots (of 125 being transferred) at LaGuardia and 14 (of 42) at Reagan National via an auction to low cost carriers. The DOT mentioned Spirit, AirTran, JetBlue, and Southwest by name as being eligible.
Yesterday, Delta and US Airways announced their counterproposal: Selling off 15 slots at LaGuardia — five each to Spirit, AirTran, and WestJet, a Canadian low-cost carrier, and five at DCA to JetBlue. So essentially, less slots but to all of the low-cost carriers the DOT specified. Except Southwest, which is not an accident.
Is this good enough for the DOT? Don’t know. Certainly Southwest will complain both about the number of slots being divested and the means through it is being done. But this latest move puts almost everyone else in the industry on record in favor of the deal.
