Exec says American Airlines lost track of valuable JFK slots in US Airways merger

American Airlines lost track of coveted space at JFK International Airport in New York following its merger with US Airways, resulting in the carrier giving up flights at one of the world’s most competitive airports, a top executive testified Friday.

The details came out during day four of the U.S. government’s antitrust trial against American Airlines and JetBlue for an alliance in the New York and Boston areas where carriers fiercely fight over space in the crowded markets.

Vasu Raja, a longtime network planning leader and now chief commercial officer at American Airlines, said the company was forced to make concessions at JFK in 2019 after it was discovered that the Fort Worth-based airline was underutilizing slots at the New York airport. He said he was “a little bit beside myself that that happened.”