Our report also found that substantial regional differences exist in fare and service trends, particularly among small- and medium-sized community airports. Large communities in general, and communities of all sizes in the West and Southwest, had experienced a substantial increase in the number of departures and available seats as well as improvements in such service quality indicators as the number of available nonstop destinations and the amount of jet service. We subsequently reported in October 1996 that operating barriers at key hub airports in the East and upper Midwest, combined with certain marketing strategies of the established carriers, fortified established carriers’ dominance of those hub airports and routes linking those hubs with nearby small- and medium-sized-community airports. In the upper Midwest, there is limited competition in part because two airlines control nearly 90 percent of the takeoff and landing slots at O’Hare, and one airline controls the vast majority of gates at the airports in Minneapolis and Detroit under long-term, exclusive-use leases. As a result, our October 1996 report, which specifically addressed the effects of slot and perimeter rules, recommended that DOT take action to lower those barriers, and highlighted areas for potential congressional action. We also said that if DOT did not choose to do so, the Congress may wish to consider revising the legislative criteria that govern DOT’s exceptional circumstances provision so that DOT could consider competitive benefits as a key criterion in deciding whether or not to grant slots to new entrants. Thus, in our October 1996 report, we suggested that the Congress consider granting DOT the authority to allow exemptions to the perimeter rule at National when proposed service will substantially increase competition. As a result, we concluded that a more prudent course to increasing competition at National would be to examine proposed new services on a case-by-case basis. On Friday, October 24, 1997, DOT issued its decision on some of the requests for slot exemptions and set forth its new policy on slot exemptions, which has been expanded to take into account the need for increased competition at the slot controlled airports. Because some in government and academia believe that slots at some airports may be underutilized, DOT is also evaluating how effectively slots are being used at these airports. This policy is to indicate those factors DOT will consider in pursuing remedies through formal enforcement actions. Aviation Competition Enhancement Act of 1997 Would Address Identified Issues

The proposed Aviation Competition Enhancement Act of 1997 has been drafted to promote domestic competition. The legislation targets three of the barriers to competition: slot controls, the perimeter rule, and predatory behavior by air carriers. Range of Initiatives Will Likely Be Needed to Address Air Service Problems

Because a variety of factors has contributed to higher fares and poorer service that some small and medium-sized communities in the East and upper Midwest have experienced since deregulation, a coordinated effort involving federal, regional, local, and private-sector initiatives may be needed. Domestic Aviation: Barriers to Entry Continue to Limit Benefits of Airline Deregulation (GAO/T-RCED-97-120, May 13, 1997).
Why GAO Did This Study

GAO discussed the barriers that limit aviation competition, focusing on: (1) the actions the Department of Transportation (DOT) has taken to address those barriers; and (2) how the Aviation Competition Enhancement Act of 1997 and other initiatives seek to address those problems.

What GAO Found

GAO noted that: (1) a combination of factors continues to limit entry at airports serving small and medium-sized communities in the East and upper Midwest; (2) these factors include the dominance of routes to and from those airports by one or two traditional hub-and-spoke airlines and operating barriers, such as slot controls and long-term exclusive-use gate leases at hub airports; (3) in contrast, the more wide-spread entry of new airlines at airports in the West and Southwest since deregulation--and the resulting geographic differences in fare and service trends--has stemmed largely from the greater economic growth in those regions as well as from the absence of dominant market positions of incumbent airlines and barriers to entry; (4) GAO has found that little progress has been achieved in lowering the barriers to entry since GAO first reported on them in 1990; (5) slot controls continue to block entry at key airports in the East and upper Midwest; (6) GAO recommended that DOT take actions to promote competition in regions that have not experienced lower fares as a result of airline deregulation by creating a pool of available slots by periodically withdrawing some grandfathered slots from the major incumbents and redistributing them in a fashion that increases competition; (7) moreover, GAO suggested that, absent action by DOT, Congress may wish to consider revising the legislative criteria that govern DOT's granting slots to new entrants; (8) GAO also suggested that Congress consider granting DOT the authority to allow exemptions on a case-by-case basis to the perimeter rule at National Airport when the proposed service will substantially increase competition; (9) in response to GAO's recommendations, DOT indicated that it would revise its restrictive interpretation of the legislative criteria governing the granting of new slots; (10) on October 24, 1997, DOT announced its decision on some of the pending requests for slot exemptions; (11) DOT also is evaluating how effectively slots are being used and it is formalizing a policy that will identify anticompetitive behavior as a precursor for formal enforcement action; (12) the proposed Aviation Competition Enhancement Act of 1997 addresses three barriers to competition: slot controls, the perimeter rule, and predatory behavior by air barriers; and (13) increasing competition and improving air service at airports serving small and medium-sized communities that have not benefited from fare reductions and/or improved service since deregulation will entail a range of federal, regional, local, and private-sector initiatives.