A plan by the Bush administration to strip airlines of up to 10% of their slots at New York’s airports and auction them off has been halted by a US federal court.

The US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia halted the slot auction plan, which was opposed by airlines and the Port Authority, on the grounds that the Port Authority's lawyers had "satisfied the stringent standards required for a stay pending court review."

“We are pleased that the US Court of Appeals today recognised the irreparable harm that auctions would have caused passengers. The court’s ruling puts a firm halt to the Department of Transportation’s ill-advised, illogical auction scheme,” said ATA president and CEO, James C May.

Source: Routes News