The United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is planning to accept binding commitments offered by IAG International Airlines Group, American Airlines, and Finnair concerning their Atlantic Joint Business Agreement (AJBA) and the potential anti-competitive effects it has on several transatlantic routes.

The inquiry, which began in October 2018 and resumed after the pandemic in September 2023, was focused on assessing whether the AJBA between American Airlines, Finnair, and IAG-owned British Airways, Aer Lingus, and Iberia violated UK competition law by restricting competition through coordination on flight schedules, pricing, marketing, and revenue sharing, as well as obtaining excessive control over key transatlantic routes, particularly from London to Boston, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, and Miami International, and preventing new or smaller airlines from entering the market - leading to consumer impact through higher fares, fewer choices, and reduced service quality.

To avoid a ruling stating that the airlines violated the law, the five carriers have proposed commitments to address the concerns raised by the CMA. These include:

  • offering slots at London Heathrow and London Gatwick to new entrants to the London-Boston, London-Chicago, and London-Miami routes;
  • providing the remedy slots for up to ten years, available at the start of the IATA Summer 2026 season;
  • ensuring a minimum number of non-stop O&D and premium O&D passengers on London-Dallas/Fort Worth, to place a constraint on fares, and force the AJBA carriers to adjust capacity in line with changes in demand; and
  • including access to special prorate agreements and frequent flyer schemes for competing airlines.

In a statement to ch-aviation, American Airlines said it continues cooperating with the CMA's review of the Atlantic Joint Business, which has delivered "significant benefits to travellers in the UK and beyond." Meanwhile, IAG said it awaits the completion of market testing and has worked constructively with the authority. Finnair was not immediately available for comment.

The CMA is set to make a final decision by April 23. All five carriers are members of the Oneworld alliance.