Southwest Airlines through a proposed deal with United and Continental would obtain at Newark slots for 18 daily roundtrip flights

. According to Southwest, Newark services would begin in March 2011. Service specifics "have not yet been determined," and the deal is "contingent upon the closing of the proposed Continental and United airlines' mergerby Nov. 30, 2010, and certain governmental approvals." To be leased by Continental and United as a remedy for competition concerns, the slots "are spread throughout the day and would allow Southwest the ability to integrate Newark service conveniently into its extensive national route network," according to a Southwest statement. In the New York metropolitan area, the airline currently serves LaGuardia and Islip Macarthur airports.