Southwest Airlines and Virgin America have each acquired 12 takeoff and landing slots (for six roundtrip flights) at New York's capacity-controlled LaGuardia Airport from American Airlines.
The slots are being divested by American as part of its merger with US Airways. In order to settle the Justice Department's antitrust lawsuit to block the merger, American and US Airways last month agreed to surrender some slots at LaGuardia and Washington Reagan National.
Also, Southwest has gained permanent control of 10 takeoff and landing slots (for five roundtrip flights) that it currently operates under a lease from American.
Southwest plans to begin new service at LaGuardia in May. The airline said it will reveal the destinations later this month.
Southwest and subsidiary AirTran currently operate 27 daily flights from LaGuardia to eight destinations (Milwaukee, Akron-Canton, Atlanta, Denver, Houston Hobby, St. Louis, Nashville and Chicago Midway).
Virgin America does not currently operate at LaGuardia. The airline operates at New York's Kennedy Airport, flying to Las Vegas, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Palm Springs, Calif.