The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a draft decision proposing to authorise a five-year alliance between Qantas and Emirates. The ACCC said that “the alliance was likely to result in material, although not substantial benefits to Australian consumers”.
Alan Joyce, Qantas Group Chief Executive, said: “Our customer research has shown very strong support for the Qantas and Emirates partnership, particularly in terms of increasing one-stop access to Europe, cutting travel time and offering frequent flyer benefits.”
Tim Clark, Emirates President, said: “Australia is one of the top three destinations in the Emirates network, popular for our business and leisure travellers alike.”
The ACCC has placed some restrictions on reducing capacity to New Zealand and will invite further submissions before a decision in March. The partnership is due to start in April next year.
