**United Airlines, Continental Airlines and All Nippon Airways have applied for antitrust immunity so they can work together on flights across the Pacific.**If granted, it would remove competition rules on routes between the US and Japan for the so-called Star Alliance.
The alliance already sells tickets on each other’s planes, but they want the opportunity to jointly manage schedules, prices and sales.
The request has been filed with the US Transportation Department.
‘Open skies’
Antitrust laws usually keep businesses from coordinating prices and schedules.
Immunity from those laws can be granted in certain cases, if it is decided that consumers would benefit more from businesses working together.
The airlines say immunity would help them compete with other big airlines that have a presence in Tokyo.
At the beginning of December, the US and Japan agreed to a new “open skies” deal cutting restrictions on flights between the two countries.
The agreement, which has yet to be formalised, includes both passenger planes and cargo services.
However the Japanese government said the US would first need to consider waiving certain antitrust rules.
Earlier this week American Airlines and British Airways hit back at a US Justice Department report that said a similar tie-up with Iberia could lead to “competitive harm”.
The airlines want to operate as a joint business, called the Oneworld alliance, on flights between Europe and the US.
The Justice Department said fares between six transatlantic routes “could increase up to 15% under the proposed agreements”.