Airline flight slots could create friction

By CHRIS DANIELS

Wrangling over takeoff and landing "slots" at Auckland International Airport may provide the theatre for the next skirmish between Air New Zealand and Virgin Blue.

Virgin, which is expected to fly into New Zealand from October, though probably under a different brand name, must apply for, and be granted, slots at the airports.

Air NZ chief executive Ralph Norris told an Australian television show last weekend that Virgin had "said that they wanted first pick on all slots," asking for times that were already being used by other airlines.

This was "asking for the top brick off the chimney" said Norris. Air NZ was prepared to work with Virgin, he said, to "enable them to get access to peak time slots" but it was commercially unrealistic for them to be "given a red carpet to be allowed to pick first pick on all slots".

Air New Zealand does not own landing slots, but one of its workers sits on a body called the "Slot Planning Committee", as a representative of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Others on the committee include representatives from the Board of Airline Representatives (BARNZ), Customs, MAF and Aviation Security.

Twice a year, airlines submit a "wishlist" for the times and frequencies of flights they want to offer.

The airport, acting on advice from MAF, Customs and Aviation Security, sets down parameters to the slot committee. For Auckland Airport, these are 2000 passengers an hour.

An airline can apply for slots at any time of the year, but they stand a better chance of getting their ideal times if they go through the formal, twice-a-year process.

Established slots are jealously defended by airlines, as it allows them to arrive and leave the airport at more convenient times for passengers. The Auckland slot committee only works out arrangements for those airlines flying international services.

Air NZ chief financial officer Shane Warbrick said the airline was not in a position to refuse slots to other carriers, such as Virgin Blue. It would not hand over its slots to a newcomer, but neither did it have the power on the slot committee to refuse slots or allocate them.

"Normally when any airline thinks up its schedule it wants to fly and goes to the slot committee - no airline in our memory has ever got the slots it perfectly, exactly wanted getting allocated to it on its first run through. There's bit of work to be done to make it work and find there is free time."

Warbrick said Air NZ did the administration work for the committee, so any correspondence from it would be signed by the Air NZ employee who happened to be the IATA representative on the committee.

He said the employee was acting as the IATA representative when doing this work. No other airlines had ever complained about bias or discrimination.

Warbrick said he expected Virgin to get almost all the slots it asked for.