Skyteam, the international airline alliance led by Delta Airlines and Air France, has applied to the US Department of Transportation for antitrust immunity. The partnership, which also includes Alitalia and CSA Czech Airlines, intends to synchronize prices on its transatlantic routes and share costs including marketing.

If immunity is granted, claims Skyteam, it would result in a consumer-friendly and competitive entity. “We would generate efficiencies which could be passed on to the consumer in lower ticket prices,” asserts a Delta mouthpiece.

The move mirrors the recent attempt by American Airlines and British Airways to thaw-out their wannabe alliance, in cryogenic deepfreeze for the past five years after failing to get the antitrust green light from US aviation authorities [WAMN: 06-Aug-01].

But, insists Skyteam, this is sheer coincidence. Its application is totally unrelated to the AA-BA move: “We are applying now because anti-trust immunity is only granted to countries with which the US has ‘open skies’ agreements. We [hope] by late September or October there will be an open skies treaty with France.”

There is no ‘open skies’ agreement between the US and Britain despite prolonged negotiations between the two countries. These nosedived in the turbulence surrounding the number of London take-off and landing slots BA was required to relinquish to competitors.

News source: The Times (London)