Jaunted

Big Airlines: Virgin America Wants Your Slots

6/09/2008 at 3:05 PM
Tags: Virgin America, Airlines, Airport Congestion (all tags)

Scrappy start-up Virgin America is looking at the recent cutbacks by legacy carriers a bit differently than most of us. Now that the big guys are shrinking capacity, VA hopes to snag some landing spots to expand its service to cities like New York and Chicago. Thing is, those carriers have asked to retain their takeoff and landing slots--even if they aren't using them.

So Virgin sent the lawyers to DC to complain to the FAA that other airlines are trying to keep competition out of certain markets. VA spokeswoman Abby Lunardini told us:

We're definitely opposed to the majors hoarding slots that they have no intention of using. Ultimately, it is the traveling public that will pay the price--with higher fares and lower levels of service.

Whether or not those slots change hands is now up to the FAA--and how much money big carriers are willing to lose protecting their landing rights.

Related Stories:
· Virgin America Protests Bid [Bloomberg, via NYT]
· Virgin America coverage [Jaunted]