A Deltapassenger jet taxis down the runway as two other passenger jets prepare to land at Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta, Georgia, the US. Delta Air Lines is opposing an antitrust immunity on the transatlantic venture between American Airlines and British Airways Plc. --Bloomberg

DALLAS—Delta Air Lines Inc. opposes antitrust immunity for American Airlines’ proposed transatlantic venture with British Airways Plc. unless the two carriers give up “significant” flight slots at London’s Heathrow Airport.

“While we support it generally, American Airlines and British Airways need to give up enough slots and gates so that everybody has unfettered access at Heathrow,” Delta chief executive officer Richard Anderson said over the weekend in a regularly recorded message to his Atlanta-based company’s employees. “We’ve got to have open and free access.”

AMR Corp.’s American and British Airways are seeking US antitrust approval to coordinate prices, capacity, schedules and routes and share revenue on Europe-North America flights. Delta has similar immunity with Air France-KLM, Europe’s largest carrier, and some other members of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

Delta wants access at Heathrow for a competitive number of daily flights from New York, Atlanta and other major cities, Anderson said.

American chief executive officer Gerard Arpey has said the carrier isn’t willing to give up Heathrow slots to win antitrust immunity. It’s the third time American and British Airways have sought such an alliance. The carriers dropped their last attempt in 2002 after regulators said they would have to cede flights at Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport.

The US and European Union in March approved a so-called open-skies treaty easing travel restrictions at Heathrow. Previously, only American, British Airways, UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic Ltd. were allow to fly between the US and the London airport. (Bloomberg)

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