After years and years of negotiations between the Uk and US that went absolutely no where on the issue of more access to LHR for US carriers, the UK asked the EU to take over the negotiations ,which they have.
The irony now is that the terms of an offer BA had a few years ago to get US antitrust immunity and to really develop Oneworld into a powerful alliance,probably looks like a sweet deal now.BA passed on the offer and walked away from the table.
I am quite, quite sure they did not imagine that AF/KL would merge and from an alliance with DL/CO/NW in the US. That is an awesome, massive alliance.In the mean time BA sits years away from an openskies that they envision. In the meantime BA can do nothing but sit back and watch a systematic peeling away of their lucrative transatlanit business, mostly their transfer passengers to and from the US via LHR.