The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has given its long-awaited approval of antitrust immunity to the proposed joint venture between Delta Air Lines and LATAM Airlines Group. The companies says they will now “work closely to create the leading airline partnership between the United States/Canada and South America”. The partnership will encompass flights to Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay – connecting “the Americas to the world like never before, with access to more than 300 destinations”, they add. The DOT approved the deal in a 30 September order. In June it had tentatively cleared the plan, which is more than three years in the making. “Delta’s partnership with LATAM will help grow the market between North and South America and provide significant and much-needed benefits for customers,” says Delta chief executive Ed Bastian. “Now, we’ll get to work with LATAM to transform the travel experience for our collective customers and create new opportunities for our employees.” “The approval by the DOT will give rise to the start of work with Delta to deliver more and better benefits to LATAM and Delta customers, such as faster connections and the joint accrual of miles in frequent-flyer programmes,” adds Roberto Alvo, LATAM CEO. The joint venture, which the companies have been pursuing since mid-2019, was approved by Chilean competition authorities in October 2021.<br/>
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Pilots at Delta Air Lines Friday opened voting for authorizing a strike, saying negotiations with the US airline for a new contract had failed to produce an "industry-leading" agreement. The Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), representing about 14,600 pilots at Delta, and the airline have been in mediated talks since February 2020. Talks paused during the pandemic and resumed in January. The strike authorization ballot closes on October 31. ALPA noted "approval of the ballot does not mean" a strike is inevitable. Before that could happen, the National Mediation Board must first decide that additional mediation efforts would not be productive and offer the parties an opportunity to arbitrate. If either side declines, both parties enter a 30-day “cooling off” period. Delta noted that no strike has been called, "so this authorization vote will not affect our operation for our customers. ALPA's stated purpose for the vote is simply to gain leverage in our pilot contract negotiations, which continue to progress under the normal process." The airline added that "Delta and ALPA have made significant progress in our negotiations and have resolved more than the majority of contract sections. We are confident that the parties will reach a consensual deal that is fair and equitable, as we always have in past negotiations." ALPA said "thousands of Delta pilots have shown solidarity on informational picket lines across the country over the last six months... This strike authorization ballot allows our members to tell management in no uncertain terms that it’s time to invest in the Delta pilots."<br/>
Italy has extended to Oct. 31 the deadline for exclusive talks with a consortium led by US private equity fund Certares over a majority stake in ITA Airways, two sources close to the matter said on Friday. The talks were initially meant to expire on Sept. 30. Certares, backed by Air France-KLM and Delta , is willing to pay E350m for a 50% stake plus one share of the state-controlled airline, the sources said. The offer also envisages a capital increase of about E600m, which would be launched some time after the closing of the deal, though exact timing has yet to be set, the sources added. Delta Air Lines and Air France-KLM plan to become commercial partners of ITA, the successor company to Alitalia, but do not intend to take a stake in the carrier at this stage, they said in August. The Certares-led consortium was picked by Italy's outgoing government over a rival offer from shipping group MSC and Germany's Lufthansa.<br/>