The F.A.A. closely regulates access to three congested airports — LaGuardia, Kennedy International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport — by assigning airlines “slots,” or permission to land and take off at certain times. It also reviews and approves flights at Newark Liberty International Airport and airports serving Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco, though the agency does not impose a strict limit on the number of daily flights.
In an April bankruptcy filing, Spirit said its 22 LaGuardia slots could be worth as much as $87 million. Spirit’s planes, engines and aircraft parts are expected to bring in far more money — cash that will be used to repay its lenders, employees and others it owes money to.
The F.A.A. has said it wants Spirit’s LaGuardia slots to be absorbed by an airline that will continue to offer relatively low fares. If that does not happen, it might do away with the slots to ease congestion, Bryan Bedford, the F.A.A. administrator, told reporters last month.
The F.A.A. did not respond to requests for comment.
Two large airlines — Delta Air Lines and American Airlines — account for most of the flights at LaGuardia. Last summer, Delta had about 511 slots at the airport and American 327, out of a total of 1,141.
But flying at LaGuardia is not cheap. All airports charge airlines fees to fund infrastructure and other improvements. Those costs have been on the rise across the country, and LaGuardia is among the most expensive airports for carriers, aviation experts said.