Travel Agent - August 13, 2007 - (Page 19)

Flights to London (above) promise to change the most dramatically, since most airlines are vying for new flights out of the city’s hectic Heathrow Airport (above right), one of the busiest airports in the world our first begins from JFK this October; the second from JFK next spring—but various movements of take-off and landing times at Heathrow has allowed us to increase our Heathrow flights as noted above,” noted Tim Smith of American’s corporate communications department in an e-mail to Travel Agent. “Plus, we have obtained additional Heathrow slots on the open market. We are currently looking at some additional new routes for next year, but we are not ready to announce what they might be because of competitive reasons.” A spokesperson for US Airways echoed that sentiment, stating, “we’re looking at Heathrow, but it’s way too early to speculate when or if we’ll be announcing anything.” That’s not the case for Continental Airlines, which in March was one of the first to file for permission from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fly between Houston and Heathrow. As it expands into Heathrow, Continental said it would retain its existing services to London/Gatwick from its hubs in Houston, Newark, NJ and Cleveland, OH. “Our customers have always wanted more options for accessing London and the Open Skies agreement will allow us to give our customers the convenience of choosing between Heathrow and Gatwick for their London travel plans,” Continental CEO Larry Kellner said in a statement at the time. A spokesperson for the airline said gaining access to Heathrow would allow the carrier to add more routes under existing bilateral agreements, but declined to disclose exactly where because of competitive reasons. (As a side note independent of Open Skies, Continental in 2008 begins service between Cleveland, OH and Paris.) Air France, Alitalia, CSA Czech Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines and Northwest Airlines—be allowed to cooperate in various operational areas, such as codesharing, frequent flyer programs and route and schedule planning. SkyTeam also filed for antitrust immunity with the Department of Transportation in 2005, but eventually withdrew its application. A short while later, the Oneworld alliance, which includes American, Iberia, Finnair, Malev Hungarian and Royal Jordanian airlines, also filed for antitrust immunity. “We believe that an alliance with antitrust immunity is of vital strategic importance and will help us remain competitive with other transatlantic alliances that already have such immunity,” said American’s senior vice president of planning, Henry Joyner. Oneworld member Northwest also plans to compete for access to Heathrow. The carrier in the last year has launched an aggressive European expansion plan that includes service to Brussels, Belgium and Düsseldorf, as well flights between Amsterdam and Detroit and Boston, thanks to a joint venture with Oneworld partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. The two carriers would implement a similar partnership should Northwest gain access to Heathrow. Though a Northwest spokesperson declined to detail expansion plans, the carrier’s recent moves in the market may be a sign of things to come. In January, Continued on page 20 Antitrust Immunity Delta Air Lines also is anxious to gain access to Heathrow, which would like to fly between London’s busiest airport and Atlanta. “A key focus for Delta has been to obtain meaningful access to London’s Heathrow International Airport,” said Jerry Grinstein, Delta’s CEO, in a March statement. “We welcome an agreement more broadly in European markets, particularly London’s Heathrow airport.” Meanwhile, SkyTeam, the alliance Delta is a member of, was the first this July to file for antitrust immunity under Open Skies, which is expected to ease regulatory hurdles alliances face under current rules. The filing asked that SkyTeam’s participating carriers—Delta, I Open Skies goes into effect in March 2008 I Airlines are after slots at London’s Heathrow Airport I Route landscape may drastically change come next year The Situation: August 13, 2007 TravelAgent 19

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - August 13, 2007

Contents Editor's Letter News You Can Use Agenda: Fam Trips, Calendar of Events, Deal of the Week Cover Story: Open Skies PACIFIC ASIA: New Zealand Tourism Update CARIBBEAN AND BAHAMAS: One&Only Ocean Club’s Slow Season Package MIDDLE EAST: Middle Eastern Airlines ALASKA: Cross-country Skiers Flock to Fairbanks CRUISES: Azamara Assails The Sea HONEYMOON AND ROMANCE: Honeymoon Survey Results Agent Profile Luxury Travel Expo Update Classified Marketplace Advertisers’ Information People & Places

Travel Agent - August 13, 2007

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