United Urges FAA To Require Slots At Newark

United Airlines is calling on the FAA to issue slots at Newark Liberty Airport to control access at a time when it's unable to handle the traffic it is generating. In a statement, United CEO Scott Kirby suggested it as a way to restore order at Newark, which has seen hundreds of delays and cancellations over the last week as a combination of technical issues and an unofficial walkout of 20 percent of controllers boiled over into a full-blown crisis. Kirby said he endorses the plans announced last week to overhaul the ATC system but in the meantime he wants the FAA to designate Newark "a slot controlled Level 3 airport." There are only three other airports where all landings and takeoffs require a slot and those are La Guardia, JFK and Washington Reagan. "By using the authority it has, the FAA can help Newark fulfill its incredible potential to be a safe, reliable and efficient gateway to the world for the American traveling public," Kirby said.

The United CEO's request seems to dovetail with the FAA's own criteria for such a designation. "When the number of flights increases to a level that creates regular and significant flight delays, and infrastructure improvements to manage the capacity are not feasible in the near future, the airport may be declared a Level 3 airport by the FAA," the agency says on its Web page dedicated to such matters. The call comes, ironically, as airlines are asking the FAA to extend its current relief on unused slot times at JFK and La Guardia that are being caused by ATC problems. The airlines say the staffing issues at the airports threaten to put their use of slots below the 80 percent minimum required to keep the coveted access. The FAA has not yet ruled on the request.

Meanwhile, the mess at Newark seems to be getting worse as a dismal record of cancellations and delays dominated the flight status screens on Sunday. Many morning flights that were delayed seven hours or more to the afternoon ended up being cancelled all together leaving thousands of passengers with few alternatives to get to their destinations. Most of the scheduled arrivals into Newark on Sunday afternoon and evening were more than four hours late and some were cancelled.But some flights seemed to avoid issues and departed and arrived on time.