Delta Air Lines and LATAM Airlines Group requested (02-Aug-2021) antitrust immunity from the US Department of Transportation (DoT), as part of their proposed joint venture agreement. The parties said immunity would help deliver "substantial additional benefits to the public", including:
- At least nine new US-Latin America routes;
- Additional frequencies on at least nine existing routes;
- Overall capacity increase of about 68% on combined network.
The carriers believe approval of the JV will allow them to provide "effective competition" to American Airlines on routes between the US and Latin America. [more - original PR]