Newsstand - BA, AA and Iberia Joint business.

Dear Mr

I am writing to you to ensure that you are one of the first to hear about the latest news from British Airways. Today we have reached agreement with American Airlines and Iberia to form a joint business, which if approved, will enable us to co-operate on flights from the UK and Continental Europe to the US, Canada and Mexico.

We plan to file for worldwide anti-trust immunity from the US Department of Transportation. The European Commission will also review the deal. If successful, we will be able to form a closer working relationship providing significant benefits for customers. All three airlines will continue to operate under our separate brands.

Closer working will create opportunities to enhance customer benefits. It will enable us to better align schedules giving more access to destinations and improving connections through key airports. Other benefits for customers include greater opportunities to earn and use frequent flyer miles on the other airlines' transatlantic network along with enhanced frequent flyer tier features. Our Executive Club members will continue to be able to enjoy lounge access with British Airways and its oneworld partners as they do today.

Our overall aim is to continue to deliver an upgraded travel experience to you. Financial efficiencies that the joint business agreement will give British Airways will help us to continue to invest further in our products and services, despite the demanding economic environment that the airline industry faces.

It is both a challenging and exciting time for British Airways and I will ensure that you are updated on developments as the proposed venture nears completion.


Warm regards,

Sarah Keyes
Executive Club Manager

"I have removed my name for obvious reasons"

I got this announcement too. My first thought was, how about letting wife and me have seats together on the same flight (Club World, LHR-LAX; Sunday 24th) instead of me able to book a seat, but my wife on a rewards ticket, being excluded even though she too has an EC card.

If BA will now, as a result of this new alliance, permit booked passengers to select their seats like AA do, then this will be a seriously important breakthrough, despite their "trading standards contravening" adverts all over the place that you can select seats (without qualification that you have to have a full fare ticket or silver or gold status EC).

I can guarantee that when we check in on line, we will NOT be able to sit together in my preferred seating (upper deck on 747), and the check in desk person will also say "tough luck" and "couldn't care a toss".

Shall I write to Sarah personally, and say customer service is still important, or just simply sit with someone else for the 12 hour flight? Maybe my wife would prefer sitting next to someone else (I am a boring old f**t anyway). It could be Sarah herself.

Given the anti-trust immunity granted to Star Alliance and Skyteam Alliance members, there is little ground for regulators to prohibit BA/AA/IB getting together (http://www.fleetbuzzeditorial.com/2008/09/22/oneworldpartners/).

In fact, it should be encouraged, given that it is solely the oneworld alliance that has been repeatedly stifled by EU bureaucrats.