Delta and WestJet plan six new routes under pact

Delta and WestJet are touting the expansion prospects of their proposed joint venture, promising at least 20% growth and six new routes in the market if approved. The carriers would offer "new or expanded service on at least 20 nonstop routes", including new service between Chicago and Toronto, and additional connections to each other's hubs if regulators grant them antitrust immunity, Delta and WestJet say in their application to US authorities on 10 October. Consumer benefits, a factor that the US DOT weighs highly in its evaluation of such pacts, would amount to at least $241m annually from the combination of additional service and easier access to both airlines' networks, they say. The joint venture will "align Delta’s and WestJet’s incentives to offer more flights and lower fares in the large US-Canada transborder market", they claim. Delta and WestJet would be able to coordinate schedules and fares, jointly sell and market flights, and align operations in other ways under a metal-neutral joint venture.<br/>