Russia and India's leading airlines preparing to join oneworld

Chief Executives from oneworld's member airlines gathered last week for their first Governing Board of what is turning out to be a breakthrough year for the alliance.
Following are highlights from the meeting;
• Japan Airlines reaffirmed its membership of the grouping in February and then filed for anti-trust immunity with American Airlines to deepen their co-operation across the Pacific - and the first oneworld Governing Board meeting attended by JAL's new President Masaru Onishi since his appointment on 1 February.
• India's leading carrier and only five-star airline Kingfisher Airlines signed a memorandum of understanding as its first step towards joining oneworld.
• The US Department of Transportation gave tentative approval in February to the application by oneworld's transatlantic partners American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, Finnair and Royal Jordanian for anti-trust immunity across the Atlantic - and the European Commission began market testing of proposed remedies in a key step towards approval of the proposed transatlantic joint business agreement between American, BA and Iberia.
It is also the first oneworld Governing Board meeting in a year that will see Russia's leading domestic carrier S7 Airlines join the alliance.
oneworld Governing Board Chairman Gerard Arpey, Chairman and Chief Executive of American Airlines, said: "This time 12 months ago, oneworld was celebrating its 10th anniversary. Since then, oneworld has taken a series of significant steps towards establishing itself firmly as the world's premier global airline alliance.
11/04/10 Ozgur Tore/Travel News Gazette

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Categories: Foreign Apr 2010, New Apr 2010