Will flyers be hurt or helped by massive Delta/US Airways northeast airport slot swap?

The competitive skyscape at LaGuardia could change soon.

So, just what does a massive proposed takeoff and landing slot swap at a pair of key Northeast pocketports mean for consumers? “I think it’s all positive,” says Mike Boyd, president of the Colorado-based Boyd Group, a major aviation consultancy. “It’s good for the carriers; it’s good for the consumers.”

Those carriers are Delta Air Lines and US Airways, and the stakes are sky-high – for them, and consumers.

“I can’t see anything here that would hurt the consumer whatsoever,” echoes Darryl Jenkins, a well-known aviation analyst.

Yet another respected voice is less enthusiastic. “The most diplomatic answer is that this helps these two airlines survive this difficult time,” says Kevin Mitchell, chairman of the Business Travel Coalition. “But it also accelerates the concentration of power at those airports, and the consumers will pay for it sooner or later.”

Under a plan just announced by Delta Air Lines and US Airways, DL would transfer 42 slot pairs (each slot pair gives it the right to operate one takeoff and one landing per day) at Reagan Washington National (DCA) to US Airways. In return, US would transfer 125 slot pairs it now has at New York LaGuardia (LGA) to Delta. The upshot: each carrier gets stronger at an airport where it already holds sway.

That would mean Delta could connect more domestic flyers via LaGuardia, and US Airways could do the same down in D.C.

“Increasing Delta’s service in the world’s most competitive and largest air service market is a key part of our long-term strategy,” says Delta CEO Richard Anderson. Under terms of the deal, Delta would double the number of nonstop destinations it serves from LGA. “It will give Delta a much stronger operation there,” says Boyd.

Yeah, but Delta already dominates another New York aerodrome, John F. Kennedy International. Doesn’t the proposed LaGuardia/Reagan Washington Reagan National Swap just concentrate power for what’s already the world’s largest airline? In terms of proximity to LGA, “JFK might as well be in Florida,” contends Boyd. JFK is DL’s international launch pad; LGA would be a domestic nexus.

LaGuardia is perennially one of the most delayed airports on the planet according to FlightStats. Ironically, Delta getting more slots there might actually help mitigate the situation, or so claims the airline. In a prepared release, Delta says, “In every slot where US Airways operates small turboprops today, Delta will operate larger jets. These new markets and larger aircraft would allow more than two million additional passengers to transit LaGuardia each year without increasing the total number of takeoffs and landings.”

Darryl Jenkins agrees with the contention: “We’re actually going to have much more efficient use of the airport than we have.”

Part of that efficiency would see Delta swap gates at LGA. It (including the Delta Shuttle) would leave the Marine Air Terminal and consolidate into the main terminal, adding 11 more gates in the process. The carrier would spend $40 million in the process. It’s been a while since airlines anywhere outside of the Middle East embarked on big airport construction projects.

An interesting part of the deal: US Airways would also get a couple of route authorities from Delta to serve Tokyo Narita and Sao Paulo. US Airways currently doesn’t have an Asian presence.

The LaGuardia/Reagan Washington National deal has to go through the government because the number of takeoff and landings at each airport is capped by the government. In LaGuardia’s case, those caps have failed to raise it from the rankings of one of the most-delayed airports in the world.

Photo courtesy Wikipedia