FAA and EU Make Rule Change to Halt Unnecessary ‘Ghost Flights’
The coronavirus outbreak has had a huge impact on the travel industry. Demand has dropped to post 9/11 levels and airlines are feeling it most. They have already cut back their schedules and offered generous cancellation and change policies for travelers.
But just because there is low demand, or because airlines cuts back flights, or cancel a route temporary altogether, it doesn’t mean that they are not flying that route at all. This situations has led to many airlines now operating ghost flights, burning unnecessary fuel with just a handful of passengers traveling, or even empty planes. This is just to ensure airlines don’t lose these valuable and prized landing slots when many expect the situation to improve as we approach summer.
Under normal circumstances, airlines can lose their slots at congested airports if they don’t use them at least 80 percent of the time.
Now the FAA is taking action to cut down on some unnecessary ghost flights. The 80-percent-use requirement is being waived through May 31, 2020 for U.S. and foreign airlines that have affected flights. In doing so, the FAA expects that U.S. carriers will be accommodated with reciprocal relief by foreign authorities at airports in their countries, and may determine not to grant a waiver to a foreign carrier whose home jurisdiction does not reciprocate.
This waiver of the slot usage requirement applies to John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York LaGuardia Airport (LGA), and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA). Additionally, at four other U.S. airports where the agency has a formal schedule review and approval process—Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), and San Francisco International Airport (SFO)—the FAA will give credit to airlines for flights that were canceled due to the Coronavirus through May 31, 2020, as though those flights had been operated.
The European Union has also taken similar steps. Brussels has reacted to the coronavirus epidemic by suspending the EU’s use-it-or-lose-it rules on airport landing slots, freeing airlines to halt ghost flights. EU has the same 80% rule at several airports.
These relaxed rules should save airlines money as they will not be required to fly empty planes. And it should have a positive impact on the environment because these planes are unnecessarily burning thousands of tons of fuel. Maybe it will result on some even cheaper fares as well.
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