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Virgin snaps at BA’s heels for kangaroo route
Virgin says it will increase flights to Australia if British Airways dropped the route.
A British Airways spokesperson has confirmed the carrier would review the future of the route if its codeshare agreement with Qantas is not given regulatory approval.
Virgin Atlantic boss Richard Branson said: “Thanks to their anti-competitive agreement BA and Qantas between them dominate the markets between London and Australia – the two airlines should be competing with each other not colluding.
“Threats by BA to stop flying to Australia unless they can continue in a monopoly with Qantas should be treated with the contempt they deserve by the Australian competition authorities.”
BA has had an agreement with Qantas since 1995, which is reviewed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on a regular basis. The latest review by the ACCC has given the agreement only a temporary approval, delaying a decision until later on this year.
The spokesperson told TravelMole: “This is based on a hypothetical situation, that if the ACCC do not renew our agreement with Qantas we will have to review the route. This is because Australia is a highly competitive market, with 20 airlines competing on the route.”
BA offers two flights a a day to Sydney, and codeshares on a further two with Qantas, and offers one flight a day to Melbourne and codeshares on a further two a day.
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