Swiss to join Oneworld

[efcop]

So it's out now. Swiss is to join Oneworld. I just wonder now how high the price was and if Swiss will get more funding.
i only hope that not more staff will be layed off.

[Sagey]

From the Business Wires:

British Airways and Swiss International Airlines today signed a legally binding memorandum of understanding under which the two airlines envisage entering into a commercial agreement.



British Airways and Swiss plan joint operations between the UK and Switzerland
with codesharing on London Heathrow Swiss routes from October 26 that will give both airlines' customers convenient access to worldwide destinations via London and Zurich.



The Swiss frequent flyer scheme will be gradually integrated into the British Airways' Executive Club. Miles already earned with Swiss will retain their current validity.



In addition, BA will enter into a slot exchange agreement for eight Heathrow daily slot pairs from Swiss.



Swiss will also enter the oneworld alliance, of which British Airways is a founder member. This will provide the grouping with an additional high-quality carrier and an important additional airport hub in central Europe, serving one of the world's most important financial centres and providing customers with
greater choice of destination, airline and global alliance. (See separate press release from oneworld for further details).



Rod Eddington, chief executive of British Airways, said: 'I am delighted to welcome Swiss into the oneworld alliance. This commercial deal will benefit both British Airways and the new Swiss, which has a quality product, network and hub in Zurich which makes it a logical fit to oneworld in Central Europe.'



Andre Dose, chief executive officer of Swiss said: 'We are proud to be a member of oneworld, the world's leading international alliance. Swiss as well as oneworld clients will benefit from the enhanced network and the joint frequent flyer programmes.'


Seems to be effectively a merger out of the UK

Sagey

[Momo]

http://www.swiss.com/web/IE6/about-swiss/sw-nw-pr-press-releases-03.htm?newsid=29222

[Golf Charlie Charlie]

I assume that part of the real deal here is that British Airways gains access to some more slots at LHR, either directly though additional BA flights code-shared as LX flights as well, or actual LX flights now code-shared as BA flights. The Financial Times says that British Airways actually paid cash for the slots, though the press statement quoted by the previous poster has this statement : "In addition to this, British Airways, its new alliance partner, has agreed to provide a guarantee for CHF 50 million, secured against slots at London Heathrow."

So, I am just wondering what the actual position might be.

I can understand that if British Airways provides a guarantee for something, they can exercise title to the slots (and the revenue they obviously bring) if their guarantee is called for any reason. But I am unclear what the primary purpose of the guarantee is - in other words, who are British Airways guaranteeing.

Another possibility is that British Airways have indeed given or lent Swiss the CHF 50m, and their repayment comes from a lien on the revenue from the flights in question flown in those slots.

[Few Cloudy]

Well, evidently that wasn't news! Here we are again on Airlines, Airports and Routes.

It's that word Swiss, which triggers the immoderate moderation, I think.

When it was "EZY and GO join up", I seem to remember that it kept pole position on the site for some time.

[ettore]

A mean to make your point to the administrator may consist in opening a new Swiss topic under Rumors and news each time the said administrator sends so promptly an interesting discussion down the drain.

What surprises me is that we got no explanation at all for this behaviour. If a new partner airline in the second largest alliance, lead by BA, is not worth discussing on a thread accessible by a large number of participants, I wonder what's the point for administrators to spend hours in maintening this forum...

[Robert Vesco]

I've given up trying to figure out why all Swiss related topics get moved so quickly! :(

Anyway, I hope that this alliance deal will finally get Swiss moving in the right direction. Curious to see what will happen to the long haul out of ZRH though.... :ooh:

[efcop]

I don't think I'll bother posting on the main page anymore. It took them less than two hours to move the thread here. Surprising speed...

another tidbit of news from teeny weeny Switzerland:

yet another new airline announced to be based in BSL
www.basilea-airlines.ch

and Odette changed the name to Helvetic and is planning to offer low cost from ZRH.
www.helvetic.com

Good luck but please change the livery...magenta of all colours