ACCC issues draft determinations for three separate aviation cases.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has just issued three draft decisions, proposing to grant authorisation to (i) an Affiliation Agreement between Emirates and Flydubai; (ii) a separate Commercial Alliance between Etihad and Air Berlin; and (iii) for the Star Alliance’s Corporate Plus, Conventions Plus and Meetings Plus programs for eight years.
Under the Emirates/Flydubai Affiliation Agreement the airlines will coordinate operations on international air passenger and cargo transportation services between Australia and Dubai and on ‘behind and beyond’ Emirates and Flydubai services.
The Commercial Alliance proposed between Etihad and Air Berlin will see them coordinate international air travel services between Germany and Australia via Abu Dhabi, with the carriers having already commenced codeshare operations for Air Berlin passengers flying from points in Germany via AUH into Australia.
Interim authorisation was granted for both agreements on 16 May, which allowed the carriers to respectively begin to implement the pacts.
The ACCC said it was now inviting further submissions from the applicants and other interested parties in relation to today’s draft determinations, prior to making the final decisions on whether to authorise the conduct.
The Star Alliance determination, also just announced, follows a request for interim authorisation by Air New Zealand on behalf of the alliance (TD today) because of concerns that the ACCC may not have finalised a decision before the current authorisation expires in August.
The ACCC has reacted swiftly to the Air NZ request, granting interim authorisation for the Corporate Plus and Conventions Plus programs to continue, as well as for Meetings Plus to commence while the Commission completes its final consideration.
Under today’s draft determination the Star Alliance would be authorised for its Corporate Plus, Conventions Plus and Meetings Plus programs for eight years, with the ACCC also inviting comments on this draft determination by 13 July 2012.
More information in tomorrow’s Travel Daily.