U.S. Denies JAL-Hawaiian Deal; American, Philippines Codeshare
- As the Covid crisis ensues, there are no airline route announcements. No new aircraft orders. No new marketing campaigns. None of the news that typically fills the pages of Skift Airline Weekly. There was a bit of news on the alliance front, however, from the U.S. government. The DOT, more specifically, delivered bad news to Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines. It rejected their revised application for antitrust immunity, unconvinced by the changes they made since last getting rejected.
The two airlines, to be clear, are still permitted to cooperate. But they won’t be able to form of a true joint venture involving pricing and scheduling coordination. Needless to say, it’s not the first thing on either carrier’s mind right now. But when the day comes that Japanese and American tourists are visiting Hawaii again, JAL and Hawaiian won’t be as formidable a force as they hoped. - American and Philippine Airlines, looking past the current darkness, quietly formed a codesharing partnership. It will facilitate smoother travel to and from Manila for people in Atlanta, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, and Washington. The primary connecting point will be Los Angeles LAX.