United Airlines says it will halt flights to and from JFK next month if the federal government does not allow the carrier to increase operations at New York’s busiest airport, it has been reported.
The company made the announcement in a letter from United CEO Scott Kirby to acting FAA chief Billy Nolen last week.
Kirby asked Nolan’s agency to allow United to increase the number of departures and arrivals from Kennedy, according to an email cited by Reuters.
“If we are unable to obtain additional allocations for several seasons, we will have to suspend service at JFK effective at the end of October,” Kirby wrote.
The FAA said Tuesday that it “must consider airspace capacity and runway capacity to assess how the changes would affect flights at nearby airports.”
The agency added that “any additional slots at JFK will follow the FAA’s well-established process to award them fairly and to increase competition.”
United has petitioned the FAA to grant it more permission to take off and land at JFK “so we can become more competitive.”
The Chicago-based carrier, which is the third-largest domestic airline behind American and Delta, said without more permanent slots it could not operate out of JFK “effectively compared to the larger schedules and more attractive flight times of our competitors.” , including JetBlue and American.
United currently operates just two flights a day from JFK to Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In 2015, the company pulled out of JFK and instead decided to concentrate on its local hub in Newark. When it left, it leased its 24 year-round slots to competitor Delta.
Kirby, who became the airline’s top executive in 2017, has been quoted as saying the move was a mistake. Since joining the company from rival American, Kirby has sought to rebuild and expand United’s footprint in southeast Queens.
Last year, United returned to JFK — citing demand from West Coast customers who insisted on flying direct to New York rather than New Jersey.
JFK is the 13th busiest airport in the country. It is also the largest terminus for international flights to and from North America.
United sees room for growth at JFK, citing massive infrastructure projects including “expanding runways, building multi-entrance taxiways and creating aligned high-speed turns.”
Newark is one of United’s biggest hubs. The company operates 69% of its flights there, which means 425 flights per day.
In June, United cut the number of daily departures by about 50 to ease congestion at Newark.