Wondered about the legality of it with regard to competition laws.
Perhaps while getting coffee from the vending machine Mr EZY will casually mention to Mr BE that they plan to drop certain routes if the deal is successful to free up aircraft for the new slots.
Nudge nudge, wink wink.
I may be a bit cynical, but I would think smelly little deals are often done in cases like this. Or maybe I just watch too many conspiracy films....
