The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA), representing the pilots of US Airways, today announced support for the conditions imposed by the Department of Transportation (DOT) on US Airways'' proposed slot swap with Delta Airlines. USAPA also reaffirms its request to the Department of Justice for a full investigation to expose likely anti-competitive results of the deal. The deal would give Delta 51% of New York-LaGuardia Airport departures and US Airways 58% of the Reagan Washington National Airport departures.
The two airlines submitted a joint waiver request from the prohibition on purchasing slots at New York LaGuardia Airport. The waiver would allow US Airways to transfer 125 pairs of slots to Delta, plus a lease/option of an additional 15 pairs of slots at LaGuardia Airport. The waiver also allows Delta to transfer 43 pairs of slots to US Airways at Reagan Washington National Airport. A pair of slots is one takeoff and one landing.
The DOT announced in February that it was proposing conditional divestitures, "because of the unusual size of the transaction, which dramatically enhances the respective market position of Delta at LaGuardia and US Airways at Reagan National Airport, the reduced competitive incentives that the carriers would have at the respective airports, and the potential for use of the transferred slot interests in an anticompetitive manner."
"Historically this kind of market domination results in higher airfares, reduced frequency of flights and less choice and generally has an adverse effect on the traveling public, particularly in medium- and small-sized markets," said USAPA President Mike Cleary. "This also would have a huge impact on jobs, and in this case US Airways employees with decades of experience would be negatively impacted. Although we support the DOT''s decision to require slot divestitures, we want to make it clear that waivers to laws that minimize the intent of the law should not be granted. That is why we are asking the Department of Justice to investigate the transaction."
Headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., the US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) represents more than 5,000 US Airways pilots in five domiciles across the United States. Visit the USAPA Web site at www.USAirlinePilots.org.
Contacts:
US Airline Pilots Association
Captain James Ray, 980-875-7642
