Delta/ Virgin Antitrust approved - game on

[S70IP]

Game on people.

DOT 59-11
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Contact Bill Mosley
Tel.** [phone]

*

DOT Proposes to Approve Antitrust Immunity for Delta/Virgin Blue Alliance

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today proposed to approve an application for antitrust immunity made by Delta Air Lines and affiliates of the Virgin Blue Group to operate joint services between the United States and Australia.* The carriers revised their application after the Department tentatively denied an earlier request for immunity last September.*

Antitrust immunity allows airlines to closely coordinate their international operations. In today’s show-cause order, the Department tentatively concluded that the revised application demonstrated that the alliance would produce sufficient public benefits to justify a grant of immunity without diminishing competition.*

The Virgin Blue Group includes V Australia, Virgin Blue and Pacific Blue Airlines affiliates in both Australia and New Zealand.

In today’s order, the Department said Delta and its partners had made substantial changes from their previous application, addressing concerns that immunity would provide only limited benefit to consumers.* In the new application, the Virgin Blue Group expanded the scope of the alliance to include service to more passengers.* It also said that it had completed an upgrade of its reservation system to ensure compatibility with Delta’s system, providing consumers with a more seamless travel network.* In addition, the carriers said they would serve more cities and offer more capacity at the start of their alliance than they originally proposed, providing more benefits to consumers at the outset.*

*********** Interested parties are invited to provide comments as to why the proposed decision should not be made final.* Objections are due in 14 calendar days, and answers to objections are due seven days afterward.* Following the comment period, the Department will review all filings and then issue a final decision.* If the Department grants final approval, the carriers must start their joint venture within 18 months of a final order.

*********** Today’s proposed decision, comments and other documents in the case are available on the Internet at Regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2009-0155.

-END-

[VBPCGUY]

Game on, bring it on:d

[denabol]

QF surrounded on Pacific by 777 operators

Talk about rubbing it in.

‘Virgin Delta’ gets US approval | Plane Talking

[Jabawocky]

Anyone want to buy a few hundred thousand QF FF points...........

The Borg is going to get more of our company dollars from here in.

[S70IP]

Resistance is futile.
The collective grows.



Delta pushes Boeing to squeeze more range from 777-200LR

Can the 777-200LR do SYD - Atlanta?

[neville_nobody]

So much for bringing competition to the Pacific.

Can the 777-200LR do SYD - Atlanta?

Yeah it could make it, with how many passengers and whether it will fit within the ETOPS ranges is the question . Maybe one of the Emirates boys could fill us in.

[piston broke again]

Whatever happened to the possibility of a Perth - London route in the 200LR?

[Bypass ratio]

YSSY-KATL = 9285NM
B77L would make it no worries. You maybe slightly payload restricted from 45 tonnes. M0.84 cruise gives 16:45 mins direct (crossing the coast at Cabo San Lucas in Mexico) Return sector with headwinds is the problem. Last Christmas we flew YSSY-KJFK direct on the B77F with the Sheikhs horses. Not sure of how much gas. With the above KATL scenario, you could only load on 134.3T gas. Northern Hemisphere Winter east coast weather would also pose a problem. 207 ETOPS not a problem on that route.

[sinala1]

Originally Posted by neville_nobody

So much for bringing competition to the Pacific.

Take a look at the date of the linked article - 17/3/08