European Commission Probing SkyTeam

The European Commission is probing whether members of the SkyTeam airline alliance are acting anti-competitively on routes where there is no other significant competition. It has sent what it terms a Statement of Objection to all of the alliance's members concerning a list of routes between the European Union and the United States, as well as intra-E.U. routes and some between the European Union and other countries. In each case, SkyTeam members previously competed on the route separately but now face no significant competition from other carriers.

The airlines have been given 12 weeks to reply. A SkyTeam statement said the airline has been subject to a European Commisison competition investigation since 2000 and that the Statement of Objection is a routine part of such an inquiry. It added that the SkyTeam members are "confident that they will be able to settle the case amicably in due course."