It only makes sense that the Department of Transportation tentatively approved the latest antitrust immunity (ATI) request. After all, the mutual ownership blend across Delta Air Lines, Air France/KLM and Virgin Atlantic lends itself to coordination of operations, marketing and pricing efforts. The DoT did hold back a tiny bit, though it is unlikely that will be sufficiently consolatory for the parties that objected to the deal.
SkyTeam
Solving the Codeshare Conundrum: Travelport, Routehappy, alliances weigh in
Codeshare flights: Great for airlines and confusing for passengers. Multiple groups across the industry are looking to clear up that confusion, exposing better data to travelers and smoothing the marketing message.
China Southern quits SkyTeam, seeks stronger partnerships
SkyTeam lost its largest mainland China airline this week. China Southern announced it will quit the alliance in 2019. The non-renewal of the membership contract will see the carrier transition out of its alliance relationships in the coming year. This is not a hard stop of relations; rather, the changes are likely to roll out over time. It is also not a surprise.
Hawaiian, JAL go all-in on joint venture application
Can a joint venture truly deliver passenger benefits in the form of better connections and reduced fares? The proposal from JAL and Hawaiian Airlines might be the best chance we’ve seen yet to deliver on such promises.
SkyTeam grows a Digital Spine
How can global alliances increase their relevance to member airlines? Better data sharing is good but enabling ancillary sales on top of that is great. SkyTeam’s SkyLink Digital Spine delivers that new connectivity and sales opportunity.
Delta invests in China Eastern
Delta’s sphere of influence over other global airlines continues to grow. The latest move is a 3.55% stake in China Eastern. It provides Delta a leg up towards future joint venture operations, should Open Skies come to pass but is not without some interesting quirks.