Alitalia To Join Delta, Air France-KLM Joint Venture
June 22, 2010, 12:0 PMBy Jay BoehmerItalian flag carrier
Alitalia Airlines in the next ten days will announce plans to join the antitrust-immune
joint venture that includes Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM, enabling the carrier
to jointly set fare, plan routes and share revenues on the transatlantic with its
SkyTeam partners.
Though a 2008 Department
of Transportation decision granted Alitalia antitrust immunity with five SkyTeam
airlines, the carrier was not part of the original transatlantic joint venture that
included Delta and Air France-KLM. Those carriers already have been courting corporate customers and transitioning international contracts to the joint venture.
Alitalia vice president
of alliances and business development Giorgio Callegari today told <i>BTN</i>
the carrier has gained all other necessary governmental approvals to move forward
its participation in the joint venture.