DOT 110-08
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Contact: Melissa Mazzella DeLaney
Tel.: (202) 366-4570
FAA to Auction Slots at Newark Liberty Airport
WASHINGTON – The right to operate a single roundtrip flight at Newark Liberty
Airport will be auctioned for a five-year lease on September 3, U.S.
Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters announced today.
“This auction will allow us to implement market mechanisms on a small scale,
gauge interest and determine a slot’s market value,” Secretary Peters said.
“However, the real winners in this auction will be consumers, who stand to
benefit from more reliable air service that costs less in terms of both time and
money.”
The two slots were to be allocated to Eos Airlines earlier this year, but the
airline filed for bankruptcy leaving the FAA with control of the slots. The
winner would be able to operate at Newark daily, arriving at 5:00 to 5:30 p.m.
every day but Monday and Saturday, when the arrival would be from 12:00 to 12:30
p.m., and departing daily from 7:30 to 8:00 p.m. The funds generated from the
auction will be used to reduce delays and enhance capacity at New York-area
airports.
Tomorrow, the terms and conditions of the lease and details of the auction
process will be made available on the FAA’s procurement Web site (http://faaco.faa.gov)
where they will be available for public comment until August 18. After taking
into consideration all comments on both the lease and the process, a final
notice and invitation to bid will be published August 25 and the auction will
take place on September 3.
“Market-based mechanisms are the best way to assure consumers will receive
quality service at affordable prices, and we’ve proposed several measures that
embrace these mechanisms. Indeed, such measures have been very successful at
managing congestion in other transportation modes and can provide strong
incentives for more efficient use of a strained resource, like New York-area
airports,” Secretary Peters said.
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