U.K. Corps. Divided Over Alliance

Corporate Britain is split on the wisdom of the proposed American Airlines-British Airways alliance, according to a survey conducted for Carlson Wagonlit Travel.

Forty-seven percent of decision makers and 55 percent of travelers in the United Kingdom do not believe that the alliance will stimulate greater competition in transatlantic aviation. However, 56 percent of the sample--which consisted of 400 travel decision makers, 100 travelers and 100 travel bookers--believe that fares would decrease, while 42 percent believe they would rise.

BA and American also will be heartened to learn that only 27 percent feel there will be less choice of airlines operating to the United States from London Heathrow.

In other survey news, the number of companies that operate a travel policy has rocketed from 60 percent last year to 77 percent this year. This could be interpreted as firm evidence that more and more British businesses are favoring the idea of travel management.

On the railway front, the U.K. government's privatization and fragmentation of the national network into 26 separate operating companies received a thumbs-down. Sixty-two percent of the survey sample felt it had not brought about greater competition, and 63 percent thought fares had risen as a result.