BA, American, Iberia Offer Antitrust Concessions

Titlu: BA, American, Iberia Offer Antitrust Concessions
Sursa: http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1268221326.html
Autor: Reuters
Data: 10/03/2010

Citat :

British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia have offered to cede a number of lucrative trans-Atlantic slots in an attempt to ease competition concerns and gain EU approval for their alliance.

The European Commission said on Wednesday that interested parties would have until April 10 to comment on the airlines' concessions. The three carriers are members of the oneworld airline alliance.

"If the market test confirms that the proposed commitments remedy the competition concerns, the Commission may adopt a decision... making the commitments legally binding on the parties," the European Union competition watchdog said.

It said in a statement that the airlines had offered to give up some landing and take-off slots for routes from London to Dallas, Boston, Miami, Chicago and New York, and from Madrid to Miami.

The carriers also proposed to allow access to their frequent flyer programmes on the routes and submit data on their cooperation. The Commission opened an investigation into the planned alliance last April.

The airlines want to manage jointly schedules, capacity and pricing as well as share revenues on routes between North America and Europe.

American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Royal Jordanian last month secured tentative approval from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) for their plan to form an alliance.

The DOT has given interested parties 45 days to object. Answers to objections will take a further 15 days.

The Commission is also probing proposed alliances between members of Star Alliance, and members of SkyTeam, both rivals of oneworld.

Titlu: Oneworld EU Antitrust Plans Inadequate - Virgin
Sursa: http://news.airwise.com/story/view/1268260007.html
Autor: Reuters
Data: 10/03/2010

Citat :

Proposals by British Airways and American Airlines aimed at easing EU antitrust concerns are woefully inadequate, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson said on Wednesday.

"I continue to question why the (European) Commission is even considering these proposals to try and put right the consumer harm of this monster monopoly when it does not seem to have any evidence of concrete consumer benefits," Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic, said in a statement.

Oneworld members British Airways, American and Spain's Iberia have offered to cede a number of lucrative trans-Atlantic slots in an effort to gain EU approval for their alliance.