Delta, WestJet JV: will LCCs seize more slots at LaGuardia?
The US transborder market with Canada remains essentially shut down, and there are no signs that Canada's government has any plans to lift restrictions before the end of 2020 - especially given the rising case counts in the US.
Despite the border closure, the US Department of Transportation (DoT) heeded the calls for slot divestitures at New York LaGuardia airport in order for Delta Air Lines and Canada's second airline WestJet to move forward with their transborder JV.
The required divestiture is not surprising; but the timing of the approval could be beneficial for low cost operators that have used the COVID-19 pandemic to seize on opportunities to grow in markets that they believed were constrained before the crisis.
As Delta and WestJet review the conditions for approval, low cost operators are likely salivating at the prospect of expanding at LaGuardia.
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