N.Y.-N.J. Port Authority to ask court to block airport slot auctions

N.Y.-N.J. Port Authority to ask court to block airport slot auctions The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey said it would seek an injunction from the U S. Court of Appeals for the Washington, D.C., Circuit to block the Federal Aviation Administration’s plan to move forward with auctioning off airline slots at the New York metropolitan area airports.
   The authority, which operates four major airports in the New York-New Jersey region, believes that airlines entering auctions for the takeoff and landing slots they already own will lead only to higher costs that will be passed through to passengers in the form of increased ticket prices. It estimates costs could rise by up to 12 percent.
   “In addition to higher ticket prices, the auction policy will mean fewer flights to small communities at a time when these communities already are struggling in this economy,” it said. It estimates that 25 small and medium-sized aviation markets would lose service to and from the New York metropolitan airports because auctions would force airlines to operate between large markets in order to make the slot purchase viable economically.
   The agency has argued for a strategy that expands capacity by overhauling air traffic control technology, as well as improving customer service.