It would appear that members of the Oneworld alliance, British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia, are volunteering four daily pairs of slots at Heathrow for other airlines to lease. Apparently this is all part of a bid to pave the way for the European Commission to approve the airlines’ proposed joint venture on transatlantic routes. The airlines have said that they will make available a number of take off and landing slots to non-Oneworld alliance airlines.

Under this so called joint venture, the airlines would share revenues on routes between North America and Europe. They would also be able to cooperate on schedules and pricing without having to worry about price fixing.

However, there are a number of routes that will be up for lease if the deal gets approved. Routes between Heathrow or Gatwick to Boston, Heathrow or Gatwick to Dallas Fort Worth, and Heathrow or Gatwick to Miami. At some point in the future, Heathrow or Gatwick to New York slots could become available should the competitive market change.

British Airways CEO, Willie Walsh, said that they are offering these slots to gain European Commission approval for the joint business proposal. This proposed plan would not only benefit customers and shareholders; it would also enable Oneworld to compete on a level playing field with other global alliances across the Atlantic.

Willie Walsh finished up by saying that they are pleased that the European Commission has recognized that they need to be compensated for leasing these slots. This reflects the fact that there is an active slot market in London that airlines are interested in.