To me it looks like DOT called Carty/Eddingtons bluff. If the pact is as good for competition and the customer as they insisted it was, 224 slots would not be a problem. I have to conclude that BA/AA makes more money seperately with a limited number of competitors than they can as partners with four more competitors. I wonder how many slots they would be willing to give up and how many competitors they felt they could handle. My guess is that the real fear they have is Delta because of its existing realtionship with AF and the new US/France open skies agreement. NW, US and CO just don't seem like particularly formidable competition with the weak european partners they have.