March 11, 2010 - 01:56 PM ET
To win approval from European regulators for a joint venture, AA, BA and Iberia agreed to give up slots at London and/or New York airports for transatlantic services, according to the European Commission. Such slots at London Gatwick, London Heathrow and New York JFK would "facilitate entry of competitors" on six U.S.-U.K. routes. The three oneworld partners also are willing to "enter into fare combinability agreements with competitors" on routes identified as being at risk for competition loss and "enter into special prorate agreements for behind and beyond traffic" on those city pairs, according to EC. EC through 10 April is accepting public comments on the airlines' commitments and, subject to those comments, "intends to adopt a decision" that would make binding for 10 years those commitments. In its tentative approval of the American Airlines-British Airways-Iberia antitrust immunity request, the U.S. Department of Transportation also set conditions that include slot transfers from the trio to other competitors interested in operating transatlantic service. DOT through the end of March is collecting comments on its decision.
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