American Airlines and Latam Airlines Group announced plans to enter a joint business agreement that will allow the airlines to share revenues on certain flights to South America.
The airlines, both part of the Oneworld alliance, said they will ask U.S. and South American agencies for regulatory approval and antitrust immunity of a joint business agreement. The agreement will allow the airlines to cooperate on scheduling, marketing and other business functions on flights between the U.S. and Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay.
“Customers will gain seamless access to more frequent and convenient schedule options than either carrier could offer individually,” American CEO Doug Parker said in a statement.
The airlines said that if their agreement is approved, there could be new direct service to additional destinations and more flights on existing routes.
“This is a positive step in offering [customers] the best connecting network in North and South America and it increases the possibility of adding new destinations to our networks in the future,” said Latam Airlines Group CEO Enrique Cueto.
Latam Airlines was formed in 2012 when LAN Airlines of Chile and Brazil’s TAM Airlines merged. Neither airline serves Dallas/Fort Worth Airport.
American offers nonstop flights from DFW to Lima, Peru; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; and Bogota, Colombia. The Fort Worth-based carrier already has antitrust immunity on joint business agreements with British Airways, Iberia, Japan Airlines and Qantas Airways.
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American Airlines and LATAM ask for JBA
