As the European Commission considers reimposing slot usage requirements, airlines have resumed efforts to lobby against any attempt to reinstate even a portion of the so-called "80-20 use it or lose it" rule on the continent and similar regulations worldwide. The rule, which before the pandemic required airlines to use at least 80 percent of their slots or risk losing them to competitors, remains lifted for the time being as a way to protect hub carriers' networks amid Covid-19 travel restrictions. However, the EC now has begun considering partially restoring the rule with a 60 percent use threshold for the winter season. International Air Transport Association figures show that cross-border traffic measured as a percentage of 2019 levels has shown no improvement since October 2020. In fact, forward bookings in Europe reflect even lower demand for travel this winter than in the same period last year, underscoring the continued need for slot rule waivers. More than 60 percent of international flights operate from Level 3 slot-controlled airports, forming what IATA senior manager of worldwide airport slots Dimiter Zahariev called the backbone of international connectivity and networks.
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