United Airlines said it plans to end service in October to New York’s John F. Kennedy Airport (JFK) if the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not grant the air carrier additional flights.
According to an email sent by United to staff members on Tuesday that was seen by Reuters, Chief Executive Scott Kirby wrote to Acting FAA Administrator Billy Nolen last week to request that he enhance capacity at JFK.
United is flying just twice daily to San Francisco and Los Angeles from JFK, the busiest New York-area airport, after resuming service in 2021.
“If we are not able to get additional allocations for multiple seasons, we will need to suspend service at JFK, effective at the end of October,” United’s email said.
The FAA said in a statement Tuesday it “must consider airspace capacity and runway capacity to assess how changes would affect flights at nearby airports. Any additional slots at JFK would follow the FAA’s well-established process of awarding them fairly and to increase competition.”
United said it had been working to pursue additional slots – which are takeoff and landing authorizations – through the FAA and market at JFK “so that we can grow to be more competitive”.
It said without permanent slots it cannot serve JFK “effectively compared to the larger schedules and more attractive flight times flown by our competitors” like JetBlue Airways and American Airlines, Reuters reports.
As Delta Air Lines discontinued operations to JFK in order to focus on its neighboring Newark hub in northern New Jersey, United reached a long-term agreement to lease 24 year-round slots at JFK to Delta Air Lines.
United argues there is room to grow at JFK, the 13th-busiest U.S. airport, because the FAA and the Port Authority since 2008 have made significant infrastructure investments including “the widening of runways, construction of multi-entrance taxiways, and the creation of aligned high-speed turnoffs.”
In June, the FAA approved United’s request to temporarily cut about 50 daily summer departures from its Newark airport hub to address congestion, representing 12% of United’s 425 daily flights at Newark. United is the dominant carrier at Newark, operating 69% of flights.
