Southwest moved a step closer to getting coveted takeoff and landing slots at its first New York airport when an Indianapolis bankruptcy judge approved a plan for the airline to buy the assets of now-defunct ATA for $7.5 million.
Under the plan, Southwest will get immediate access to the 14 ATA slots at New York's LaGuardia, which covers seven daily departures. The slot acquisition was a big coup for Southwest; it is difficult for airlines to gain entry to LaGuardia because the federal government has imposed flight caps on the airport in order to reduce congestion.
Southwest will next petition the FAA to transfer the slots to the airline. Southwest has not said which markets it will serve, but it plans to start operations this summer.