British Airways this morning issued the following statement in response to further media reports on the US Department of Justice’s filing to the US Department of Transportation on the proposed alliance between American Airlines and British Airways:

“This is just another step along the regulatory road.

“In the United States , final approval of our alliance with American Airlines rests with the Department of Transportation which is expected to apply a broader test of public interest.

“Naturally, we expect the US DOT to consider not just the competition analysis but also the benefits of an ‘open-skies’ agreement between the UK and US and stronger competition between global alliances.

“The Department of Justice has made it clear that the slots don’t have to come from BA/AA.”

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