A settlement between US and UsAirways and AMR

Does this mean that a 60 day comment period will begin today, with a date of closure in January?
 
52 slots at DCA and 17 at LGA will be divested.
PAIRS
see the following from the press release

Under the terms of the settlement, the airlines will divest 52 slot pairs at Washington Reagan National Airport (DCA) and 17 slot pairs at New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), as well as certain gates and related facilities to support service at those airports. The airlines also will divest two gates and related support facilities at each of Boston Logan International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Dallas Love Field, Los Angeles International Airport, and Miami International Airport. The divestitures will occur through a DOJ approved process following the completion of the merger. Despite the divestitures, the new American is still expected to generate more than $1 billion in annual net synergies beginning in 2015, as was estimated when the merger was announced in February.

After completion of the required divestitures, the combined company expects to operate 44 fewer daily departures at DCA and 12 fewer daily departures at LGA than the approximately 290 daily DCA departures and 175 daily LGA departures that American and US Airways operate today.[ii] The divestitures required by the settlement are not expected to impact total employment at the new American.

To ensure much of the service currently operated by the carriers to small- and medium-sized markets from DCA is maintained, the new American has agreed with the DOT to use all of its DCA commuter slot pairs for service to these communities. The new American intends to announce the service changes that will result from the divestitures in advance of the sale of the DCA and LGA slots, so that the airlines acquiring those slots have the opportunity to maintain service to those impacted communities.
 
nevergiveup said:
Does anyone know how many slots we have in LGA and DCA prior to the merger?
One reports says, "After completion of the required divestitures, the combined company expects to operate 44 fewer daily departures at DCA and 12 fewer daily departures at LGA than the approximately 290 daily DCA departures and 175 daily LGA departures that American and US Airways operate today. The divestitures required by the settlement are not expected to impact total employment at the new American."
 
AA has operated just over 50 flights/day at DCA so this amounts to nearly all, if not all, of AA's current slots at DCA.
Remember that UA had to give up all of its slots at EWR in order to win that merger - and this seems to confirm the same thing.

Note also that AA/US will be returning the majority of the slots to the government with the ability to sell only a part of them.

That would seem to indicate that the majority of the slots that are being given up will be for small city service which the DOT will likely reallocate.

It also means that the number of slots that can go to low fare carriers for large jet service is small.

If both of those things are indeed what is happening, it will validate what I have said that AA/US would attempt to minimize the number of large jet slots that would go to LCCs and would instead give up small city slots.
If small city slots are given up, then DCA becomes less of a hub operation for new AA and more of a large focus city/point to point operation while DL and UA will likely gain many of the returned slots.

Given the requirement to serve as many of the small cities as possible, the flights that are most likely going to be given up are US flights to other carrier hubs from DCA.

Note that AA/US are giving up 17 slot pairs at LGA but the number of flights is expected to be only 12 flights less than the combined AA/US operate today, meaning that AA/US are probably not using all of their current slots. CORRECTION.... it includes slots which AA is leasing to other carriers.

US markets to LGA are the BOS/DCA Shuttle and the hubs... not sure of the total flights but it is probably around 50 off the top of my head.
 
Hearing 52 slot pairs at DCA, 17 at LGA.
2 Gates each at BOS, ORD, DAL, LAX, MIA
Maintain hubs consistent with historical ops for 3 years at JFK, LAX, MIA, ORD, CLT, PHL, PHX
8 of the 52 slot pairs will be sold (Jetblue) the rest surrendered to the DOJ.
 
Hearing 52 slot pairs at DCA, 17 at LGA.
2 Gates each at BOS, ORD, DFW, LAX, MIA
Maintain hubs consistent with historical ops for 3 years at JFK, LAX, MIA, ORD, CLT, PHL, PHX
8 of the 52 slot pairs will be sold (Jetblue) the rest surrendered to the DOJ.
Not DFW. Dallas Love Field. Also included is Chicago.
 
the way i understood is that its 37 slot pairs at dca and 17 at lga   not sure if the shuttle is part of it  but i dont understand why bos mia are in on giving up slot too
 
Its 52 slot pairs at DCA, and the other airports to to ensure competition.
 
The Shuttle wont be part of it.
 
robbed,

BOS and MIA along with LAX, DAL, and ORD are part of facility divestitures, not slots.

The DOJ is ensuring that there will be sufficient access for other carriers even in cities where slots are not used.

Interestingly, CLT is not one of the cities listed.
 
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/airline-industry/20130302-us-airways-american-airlines-await-regulators-blessing-to-their-merger.ece
 
When the two airlines announced their merger Feb. 14, US Airways chairman and chief executive Doug Parker played down potential problems.
 
“Adding American to US Airways’ current operation at DCA [Washington National] doesn’t, we believe, raise anything that should remotely concern the Department of Justice,” Parker told reporters. “But we’ll see.”