Bermuda benefits from American Airlines merger with US Airways

Bigger is definitely better for transatlantic travellers now that IAG airlines British Airways and Iberia’s joint business with American Airlines has been extended to include American’s merger partner, US Airways. 

Following the merger between American Airlines and US Airways, customers booking with British Airways and Iberia will now be able to choose from a total of 70 direct flights a day between the UK and US and up to 16 flights per day between Spain and North America. 

The Atlantic joint business now includes all scheduled flights operated by oneworld alliance members American and US Airways, British Airways, Iberia and Finnair between North America and Europe. 

It is a revenue sharing agreement under which member airlines have permission to co-ordinate schedules and pricing on North Atlantic routes. 

US Airways brings 28 transatlantic routes into the joint business, of which 27 are new, and gives customers of British Airways and Iberia access to more than 50 additional new destinations in North America. 

This includes direct flights from London and Manchester to Charlotte; Manchester, Glasgow and Edinburgh to Philadelphia; Madrid and Barcelona to Philadelphia and Charlotte. 

Between London and New York the joint business provides up to 17 flights a day in each direction. 

Crossing the Atlantic

The stream of traffic from over 240 destinations in North America will allow customers to flow quickly and smoothly through American and US Airways’ nine hubs (New York’s JFK, Miami, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Washington DC) to cross the Atlantic to Europe on one of the five airlines. 

Benefits

The benefits of the bigger partnership are clear: 

n More flights, more routes, better connections and a larger number of premium seats. 

n More than 1,000 flat beds each way, each day between New York and London. 

Customers will be able to mix and match airlines and book, through one easy transaction, the best options for them to suit price and convenience. 

Schedules will be improved through timetable co-ordination and an increased range of hub-to-hub flows. 

n Lounge, check-in and baggage privileges for loyalty scheme members; more opportunities to collect frequent flyer points and spend them across the joint business airlines. 

n Opportunities for all the airlines to take advantage of higher customer volumes to expand into new and existing markets. 

n Special help services for customers connecting at nine major joint business gateways (New York’s JFK, Miami, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Heathrow, Madrid, Charlotte and Philadelphia). 

n More attractive corporate programmes. 

Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive, said: “The inclusion of US Airways will not only expand the network of our transatlantic family, it will also broaden the appeal of our services to new and existing customers who will have even more flexibility, added convenience and improved rewards when travelling between Europe and North America. 

“This expanded partnership complements the recent inclusion of Finnair into the joint business between British Airways and Japan Airlines. It has never been a better time to plan your journey across the globe.” 

“Bringing US Airways into the joint business network is an important step for us as we continue to advance our collaboration with alliance partners to increase growth, market share and competition,” said Doug Parker, chief executive officer of American Airlines. 

“Joining our entire merged company into this agreement creates a stronger and more competitive joint business, and will provide faster and easier connections for customers on hundreds of flights between North America and Europe.”