IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/trapol/v168y2025icp112-132.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Schedule padding effects following airport slot reforms: A synthetic difference-in-differences procedure

Author

Listed:
  • Yimga, Jules

Abstract

The regulatory change in takeoffs and landings at Newark Liberty Airport offers a unique opportunity to examine the impacts of a potentially exogenous shock on airline schedule padding practices. In 2016, the Federal Aviation Administration reclassified Newark from a Level 3 to a Level 2 airport, signifying a less restrictive operational environment. Using a Synthetic Difference-in-Differences (SDID) methodology, we compare Newark flights with a synthetic control group of flights from other airports, isolating the effect of the slot control removal on schedule padding. We find that the regulatory change led to a reduction in schedule padding, particularly for flights arriving at Newark, where the reduction ranged from 2.35 to 2.85 min. This reduction is considerable, especially when considered in the context of the average schedule padding of 7.5 min, representing a 31–38 % decrease in padding for Newark-related flights.

Suggested Citation

  • Yimga, Jules, 2025. "Schedule padding effects following airport slot reforms: A synthetic difference-in-differences procedure," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 168(C), pages 112-132.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:168:y:2025:i:c:p:112-132
    DOI: 10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.04.008
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X25001441
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.04.008?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:trapol:v:168:y:2025:i:c:p:112-132. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30473/description#description .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.