"It impacts nearly all airports in USA and Canada." This bold statement by Michael Landguth at "The Changing World of Slots and What It Means for Airports" session on Monday referred to slots. With a strategic review in the works for the Worldwide Slot Guidelines (WSG), this comment by the President & CEO of Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, held a lot of weight.

You could almost hear the attendees in the room collectively hold their breath as they waited to hear what was going to come next, as Bradley Rubinstein, Manager, Industry & Regulatory Relations at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey stepped up to the podium. The strategic review is a "very interesting subject," he said. "That is the basis that brings us together here." For the past two decades airports have been trying to advance their inclusion in the WSG process and, recently, "We had a very important victory at ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization)," said Bradley, adding that airports need to have a "much stronger role." There is no role in WSG for airports, currently, and we don’t have a role in shaping the policy. Airlines and coordinators are involved, but not the airports, he said.

Panelist Ivan Tse, Manager, Customer Care Programs at Vancouver Airport Authority, also had some concerns with the WSG. The WSG as an industry standard is "slightly misleading," said Tse. "People are adopting it differently around the world." He also mentioned, "It’s a guideline as opposed to hard and strict rules." His other concern was "they have been together forming these rules with the airports not being part of that. How does that work if we are not at the table to make sure our strategic goals are met?" He said that their goal was to have airports at the table, especially as it is really important for Vancouver "to understand what the impact was on our own airport. What is going to hamstring us in the future?"

While the WSG is intended to assist with the management and allocation of airport slots to ensure the most efficient use is made of congested airport infrastructure, Bradley said, "We are not embracing the tenants of the WSG that say the coordinator needs to be totally independent." He mentioned the video playing on the session room’s screen as an example – a video created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which facilitates the production and updating of the WSG. "They thought they could hoodwink us," he said. "They want you to buy into something they are selling. We need to be loud and vocal... and provide constructive suggestions. We should not cede to anyone."

"This is a story were we are not sure what the conclusion will be," said Bradley. But, one thing is certain: "Silence can be deemed as acceptance," said Tse. "In your organization, get involved. Keep your finger on the pulse because things are changing so rapidly." Bradley concurred, saying, "Get involved. Take a look at WSG and read through it. Think about your own airports. Eventually , these things will become more relevant to you. ... It is important to ensure that airports continue to have a voice in this process. Knowledge is power."

*At ACI-NA, contact Matt Cornelius to find out more about how you can be involved or how the WSG might affect you.