Delta Air Lines plans to launch flights from Heathrow to Boston and Miami, snapping up take-off and landing slots that British Airways and American Airlines were forced to give up to gain approval for their transatlantic alliance.
It has applied to the EU and US authorities for permission to launch a twice-daily year-round service to Boston and a daily year-round service to Miami.
Delta said its new services would benefit customers by increasing competition between the US and Heathrow, which is tightly restricted by a shortage of available slots.
According to Delta, the oneworld alliance, which includes American Airlines and British Airways, holds 47 percent of Heathrow’s takeoff and landing slots, while the Star Alliance, which includes United Airlines, US Airways, bmi and Lufthansa, accounts for 25 percent of Heathrow’s slots.
SkyTeam, whose members include Delta, Air France-KLM and Alitalia, holds only five percent of Heathrow’s slots, it said.
If approved, Delta’s Heathrow services to Boston and Miami would begin on March 27 next year and would be offered in cooperation with its trans-Atlantic partners Air France-KLM and Alitalia.
By Linsey McNeill
