The Oneworld alliance members seeking US antitrust immunity say that landing slots are available at London's Heathrow -- a major issue, given participation by British Airways in the group.

British Airways, joined by American Airlines, Iberia, Finnair, and Royal Jordanian, last summer asked the US Transportation Department for the legal shield to allow them to coordinate pricing and scheduling on the North Atlantic, saying that rival alliances SkyTeam and Star already have significant advantages from antitrust immunity.

They say that "there has been so much capacity added to US-London routes that it is not at all clear that there is even a current need for more new entry". They insist that "there are significant arrival slots in peak hours that are not already allocated to North American arrivals" and that "almost 90 daily suitable slots are held by unaligned airlines", and so presumably are available for a price.

Read the full article at Flightglobal.


BA's story to the UK government is that Heathrow is 99% full (even as figures show demand dropping) and extra capacity is needed. But when it comes to the US government challenging the monopoly position it holds with its partners it's a different story - there's plenty capacity.

Just how foolish and incompetent is our government to be taken in by BA and BAA's arguments and approve the third runway?