City Of Long Beach:Long Beach Airport Reallocates Three Supplemental Flight Slots To Southwest And American Airlines

Press release from the City of Long Beach:

2/18/2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEPress Release # 021822-2 Subject: Long Beach Airport Reallocates Three Supplemental Flight Slots to Southwest and American Airlines Contact:
LONG BEACH, CA – Three supplemental flight slots at Long Beach Airport (LGB) were reallocated this month to Southwest Airlines, which was awarded two, and American Airlines, which was awarded one. Those three slots were previously held by Delta Air Lines and relinquished in December 2021. “There’s always strong demand for flight slots at the Long Beach Airport,” said Mayor Robert Garcia. “Having them be consistently filled speaks to the strength of our airport and our city as a travel destination.” As one of the strictest noise-controlled airports in the nation, LGB offers a total of 53 flight slots. There are 41 permanent and 12 supplemental slots, which are subject to review under the annual noise budget. With this recent reallocation, LGB’s flight slots now are distributed as follows: “Airlines and travelers see Long Beach as a preferred gateway to Southern California,” said Long Beach Airport Director Cynthia Guidry. “Our airport is in a strong position to retain and attract airlines that connect our great city to visitors and new, exciting destinations.” Airport flight slots are awarded based on a waiting list of official requests from current LGB air carriers that have expressed interest in additional service. New entrants interested in starting service at LGB also can join the waiting list. Allocation procedures are outlined in Section 4 of City Council Resolution No. RES-18-0176. In this latest reallocation of slots, Southwest and American already have a presence at LGB, were on the supplemental waiting list, and each requested additional slots to enhance service. A potential new entrant, Swoop, an ultra-low-cost Canadian airline, also expressed interest and will be at the top of the waiting list for the next available flight slot. The supplemental waiting list, as it now stands, is as follows: Swoop, American, Hawaiian and Southwest. Swoop, a WestJet-owned carrier based in Calgary, would utilize U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Preclearance in Canada, so that passengers would be screened before boarding their U.S.-bound flights, rather than upon arrival. This means LGB would not require additional facilities or infrastructure improvements to accommodate CBP Preclearance operations. Passengers would proceed directly to their connecting flight or local destination. Long Beach Airport offers nonstop service to 16 destinations across the nation, including Hawaii. Learn more at lgb.org/destinations.

This press release was produced by the City of Long Beach. The views expressed here are the author’s own.