If the talks succeed, British Air would join SkyTeam, the alliance recently formed by Delta and Air France. The move would satisfy British Air's need for both a European and trans-Atlantic partner, the executives said.
An alliance with Delta presumably would not face the kind of opposition that British Air's agreement with American did because Delta does not have access to Heathrow. But it would give British Air access to a domestic network nearly the same size as American's.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/27/business/27AIR.html