British Airways will try to strengthen its OneWorld alliance with American Airlines, part of the AMR Corporation. "We could go back to regulators with a revamped proposal in the next 6 to 12 months," said Andrew Sentance, British Airway's chief economist.

British Airways would probably assert that the competitive landscape has changed vastly since the two airlines first approached regulators, in 1996, Mr. Sentance added. Then, there were fewer direct flights to the United States from Continental Europe, so most European passengers had to transfer at Heathrow, giving British Airways a disproportionate share of that market.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/23/business/23BRIT.html