American Airlines currently has year-round service from Charlotte Douglas International Airport to 10 destinations in the Pacific and Mountain time zones: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, San Diego, Portland, Sacramento, Denver, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Salt Lake City. The airline also flew from CLT to San Jose last summer (June through mid-August); there’s no word yet on whether that route will return for 2017.
The allocation will give Southwest 34 slots at Long Beach (LGB), which is limited to just 53 daily commercial flights. The added flights come as Southwest continues to fly far less than it did last. This page is redirecting to in 5 seconds. To edit this URL, click here. Slot Definition; Slot Allocation Process; Slot Administration/Schedule Facilitation; Compliance and Oversight; Data; Regulatory Information; Runway Construction Information; In the context of airport coordination, a slot is an authorization to either take-off or land at a particular airport on a particular day during a specified time period. Carriers may contact the Slot Administration Office in the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) at the FAA for more information about operations at slot-controlled or schedule-facilitated airports: 7-awa-slotadmin@faa.gov. 1 The FAA publishes notice of the initial submission deadline for each scheduling season in the Federal Register. Unlike neighboring Long Beach, however, SNA has historically operated with sufficient slots that Southwest had access to more than its default pool of flights because other carriers chose to not take their allocation. That changed in 2017 as Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines and United each increased their planned operations for 2017.
So what’s that leave as the largest unserved market out west (Pacific and Mountain time zones) from American Airlines’ big hub in Charlotte? John Wayne Airport in Orange Couty, CA. It’s also known as Santa Ana, which explains its airport code of SNA. SNA is one of four secondary airports to that see significant amounts of scheduled air service in the Los Angeles area. The major airport in the region is Los Angeles International Airport (LAX); the others secondary airports are located in Burbank (BUR), Long Beach (LGB), and Ontario (ONT).
So might we see American add a flight from Charlotte to Orange County in 2017? Probably not. SNA is one of those airports that has been capacity limited because of local NIMBYs since back in the day. The airport hands out a limited number of departure slots for airlines to use. American currently has 18 flights a day (9 x Dallas/Ft. Worth, 5 x Phoenix, 4 x Chicago O’Hare) to SNA and did not get additional slot(s) for next year.
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Southwest Airlines is well on its way to dominating another Southern California airport once JetBlue Airways says goodbye to its long-time base in Long Beach.
The City of Long Beach has awarded the Dallas-based carrier all of JetBlue’s 17 slots at the airport, according to a Sept. 2 statement. The allocation will give Southwest 34 slots at Long Beach (LGB), which is limited to just 53 daily commercial flights.
The added flights come as Southwest continues to fly far less than it did last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Executives have warned that, barring a sudden massive return to the skies by travelers, the carrier could be at least a quarter smaller at the end of December compared to 2019 with a slow, choppy recovery ahead.
Air travel remains down around 70% compared to last year, according to data from trade group Airlines for America (A4A). The organization does not expect U.S. airlines to recovery to 2019 flyer numbers until at least 2024.
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The COVID-19 downturn prompted JetBlue’s decision to pull up stake in Long Beach and move its West Coast base to nearby Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The New York-based carrier will end its 17 daily Long Beach flights on Oct. 6, and add nonstop service to seven western cities from LAX the next day.
JetBlue head of revenue and planning Scott Laurence has described the move to one of its “most successful” markets as an example of seizing opportunities created by the pandemic. In the case of LAX, this means picking up a vacant gate at the notoriously gate-tight airport.
Related:JetBlue ends flights to Long Beach in West Coast realignment
Update on the allocation of flight slots: @SouthwestAir has requested all available slots at Long Beach Airport. With the new slots, Southwest will increase from 17 to 34 flight slots. ✈️👏🌴Read more➡️ https://t.co/Qr4ALaZDclpic.twitter.com/Ff7ZpTLJo6
— Long Beach Airport (@LGBAirport) September 3, 2020
Southwest’s slot haul in Long Beach will catapult it to the number one position at the airport. It already holds the top spot for passengers at four other Southern California airports: Burbank (BUR), Ontario (ONT), Orange County (SNA) and San Diego (SAN).
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Video: American, Delta, Alaska Follow United’s Lead and Drop Change Fees (Travel + Leisure)
The airline serves Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), Oakland (OAK), Phoenix (PHX) and Sacramento (SMF) from Long Beach currently, according to Cirium schedules. Austin (AUS) and San Jose, California (SJC) flights are due to begin in November.
Southwest could boost flight frequencies to these cities with the added slots. However, the Long Beach airport suggests that the airline may “increase its current offering of nonstop destinations.”
Related:Southwest Airlines says travel picked up in August, but still expects a tough fall
“Southwest has established decades of consistency as the hometown carrier of California and soon will proudly offer more for Long Beach,” Andrew Watterson, chief commercial officer of Southwest, said in a statement. He did not provide any additional details on the carrier’s plans at the airport.
Despite being smaller this winter than last, Southwest continues to add a smattering of new routes across its map. It will connect Charlotte (CLT) and Denver in December, and Norfolk (ORF) and San Diego in January. Also in December, Southwest will open its first-ever seasonal destination Steamboat Springs, Colorado (HDN) with flights to Dallas Love Field (DAL) and Denver.
American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines will also serve Long Beach following JetBlue’s exit. Delta and Hawaiian were offered some of JetBlue’s former slots but they declined saying the “timing was not ideal,” according to the city.
American flies to Phoenix, Delta to Salt Lake City (SLC) and Hawaiian to Honolulu (HNL) from Long Beach, Cirium shows.
Related:Southwest unveils Steamboat Springs routes, adds new destination during pandemic
Featured image by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images.
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