Do carriers abuse the slot system to inhibit airport capacity usage? Evidence from the US experience

This paper examines whether carriers using the US slot-constrained airports have hoarded underutilized slots by abusing the slot system. Regression analyses of the US domestic route data show that there is potential evidence that carriers have hoarded slots at LaGuardia and O'Hare. Even at National and Kennedy, hoarding behaviors are suspected on the shorter routes. The results suggest that it would be desirable to modify the slot system to reduce its vulnerability to hoarding behaviors by carriers.

► Paper gives new insights into airport slot hoarding.
► Dominant carriers in the US seem to hoard slots.
► Slot hoarding in the US impairs the efficiency of airports.