For some reason on a Saturday the US Dept. of Transportation has announced its approval of the BA+AA+IB transatlantic alliance. In a continuation of its policy of pro-oligopoly, it demanded only a small concession of 4 slot pairs at LHR be surrendered. Far less than the EC has demanded and far less than its own demands 8 years ago for 16 daily slot pairs to be surrendered.
Virgin Atlantic Chairman Richard Branson is obviously not a happy person.
Already the applause has come from some groups such as BTC who believes that 3 alliances are an inevitability. Given the previous rulings it is unlikely that the EC will impose greater restrictions but it does seem to be a bit of a joke to only ask for 4 slots to be surrendered. A far better arrangement would have been to demand that new slots be made available for new entrant carriers. But the status quo seems to be the protectionism and cronyism that has been a hallmark of the US DoT.
If the competitive authority was truly doing its job then it should open up the market for total freedom. Well we shall see. Next week in Spain the negotiations for the next round of Open Skies between Europe and the USA open up. High on that agenda will be total deregulation and relaxation of sovereignty rules.
Cheers
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