Alaska Airlines and American Airlines plan to propose Alaska join American's antitrust-immune transatlantic and transpacific joint ventures, the carriers announced Tuesday.
American's Atlantic Joint Business partnership, its joint venture with British Airways, Iberia, Finnair, Aer Lingus and Level, was formed in 2010. Its Pacific Joint Business JV with Japan Airlines was launched in 2011.
Alaska and American anticipate filing for approval and antitrust immunity with the U.S. Department of Transportation and other relevant international regulators in the coming months, according to the airlines. American and Alaska already have a partnership, and each are part of the Oneworld airline alliance.
"Seattle's geographic location makes it a natural gateway to Asia, and with real opportunity for Oneworld to grow share, we are uniquely positioned to help lead that growth," Alaska chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison said during Tuesday's Alaska Investor Day event in Seattle, where the carrier made the announcement. "The result is a more valuable network for customers with more destinations, a better schedule, a seamless travel experience while further strengthening our relevance with corporate travelers."