Airports
FAA Waives U.S. Airport Slot Usage Rules
Airlines may now cancel flights at congested airports in the U.S. without risking the loss of slot rights.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Wednesday addressed calls by American Airlines and others for relief of slot-use requirements by temporarily waiving the rule that allows for carriers to lose their slots at congested airports if they don’t use them at least 80 percent of the time. The move follows a pledge a day earlier by the European Commission to put forward “very rapidly” legislation to temporarily suspend its own 80/20 “use-it-or-lose-it” rule at Europe’s airports to address traffic declines caused by the spread of the new coronavirus.