Slots and Exemptions
Slots and Slot Exemptions
At certain U.S. airports, demand for runway operations exceeds available capacity. At these airports, the Department has implemented operational limitations to relieve congestion in the form of airport slots. A slot is an authorization to conduct an operation (either one take-off or one landing) at a specific airport during a specific time-period. Slot controls are used to manage demand at more than 200 airports worldwide. In the United States, the Federal Aviation Administration currently administers a slot coordination program for air carriers operating at three airports. The FAA also manages capacity at four other U.S. airports through a voluntary scheduling process, known as schedule facilitation.
While FAA directly manages runway capacity at these airports, the Office of the Secretary works in tandem with FAA and holds statutory authority for certain aspects of the U.S. slot program.
Slot Exemptions at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA)
Slot restrictions at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport remain in effect, and since 2000 the Office of the Secretary has awarded 32 “beyond-perimeter” and 20 “within-perimeter” slot exemptions at that airport to carriers found to best meet specified statutory criteria. 49 U.S.C. § 41718. These exemptions are community-specific and cannot be sold or transferred, except through an air carrier merger or acquisition. When Congress authorizes new awards, or carriers return slot exemptions they cannot use, DOT institutes a public proceeding to allocate the available exemptions to the best qualified applicants.
Beyond Perimeter Slot Exemptions
Dockets DOT-OST-2000-7181, DOT-OST-2024-0065
Carrier |
Airport/ Market |
# of Slot Exemptions |
Statue |
Order # |
Carrier Total |
Alaska |
Los Angeles |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-1 |
12 |
Seattle |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-4 |
||
2 |
AIR-21 |
2001-6-20 |
|||
San Francisco |
2 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-5-12 |
||
Portland (OR) |
2 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-5-12 |
||
San Diego |
2 |
FAA 2024 |
2024-12-8 |
||
American |
Phoenix |
2 |
Vision 100 |
200-4-1 |
10 |
4 |
AIR-21 |
2000-7-1 |
|||
Las Vegas |
2 |
AIR-21 |
|||
San Antonio |
2 |
FAA 2024 |
2024-12-8 |
||
Delta |
Salt Lake City |
2 |
AIR-21 |
2002-11-20 |
4 |
Seattle |
2 |
FAA 2024 |
2024-12-8 |
||
Frontier |
Denver |
4 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-1 |
6 |
2 |
AIR-21 |
200-7-1 |
|||
United |
Denver |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-1 |
4 |
San Francisco |
2 |
FAA 2024 |
2024-12-8 |
||
JetBlue |
San Juan, PR |
2 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-5-12 |
2 |
Southwest |
Austin |
2 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-5-12 |
4 |
Las Vegas |
2 |
FAA 2024 |
2024-12-8 |
||
|
Grand Total |
42 |
|
|
42 |
Within Perimeter Slot Exemptions
Docket DOT-OST-2000-7182
Carrier |
Airport/ Market |
# of Slot Exemptions |
Statue |
Order # |
Carrier Total |
Southwest |
Atlanta |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-2 |
10 |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2007-5-12 |
|||
Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, or West Palm Beach |
2 |
AIR-21 |
2003-1-16 |
||
Houston-Hobby |
2 |
AIR-21 |
2013-5-6 |
||
Kansas City |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2014-12-10 |
||
Delta |
Jackson (MS) or Lexington (KY) |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-2 |
2 |
American |
Asheville, Chattanooga, or Wilmington (NC) |
2 |
Vision 100 |
2004-4-2 |
8 |
Jackson (MS) |
2 |
AIR-21 |
2012-7-26 |
8 |
|
Sarasota |
2 |
AIR-21 |
2006-6-17 |
||
Akron-Canton |
2 |
AIR-21 |
2008-11-19 2008-12-22 |
||
|
Grand Total |
20 |
|
|
20 |
Beyond Perimeter Slot Exemptions Funded by Within-Perimeter Large Hub Pull Downs
Docket DOT-OST-2012-0029
Carrier |
Airport/ Market |
# of Slot Exemptions |
Statue |
Order # |
Carrier Total |
American |
Los Angeles |
4 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-2-21 |
4 |
Delta |
Los Angeles |
2 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-2-21 |
2 |
United |
San Francisco |
2 |
FAA 2012 |
2012-2-21 |
2 |
Grand Total 8 8