Originally Posted by
shiznit
This is supposed to be a 'balanced' agreement,
Yes indeed. It was supposed to be 51.5% Delta, 48.5% Euros. That was the balance we ALL agreed to.
Originally Posted by
shiznit
and AF/KL haven't abided by their end of the deal.
Incorrect. From the time we signed the agreement to the time Alitalia was brought aboard in July of 2010, Delta shrank from 51.5% to about 47.5%. Delta did that on their own because of how Delta perceived the profitability of certain routes to be. AF/KLM disagreed with that perception and refused to shrink along with Delta in order to push the Delta percentage share back up to 51.5%. In a JV that was promoted to EVERYONE as a vehicle for global growth, Delta wasted no time in trying to use the JV as a vehicle to pull capacity out of the airline industry. That was Delta's choice.
Originally Posted by
shiznit
AFAIK RA is none too pleased with that side of the pond, but couldn't do anything more about it at the time to force them to pull down flying.
You're correct in saying AFAIK because you really have no idea whether RA is pleased or not. It may well be that this suited RA's needs precisely. He may have been looking for a way to shrink Delta metal while still having revenue rights to the JV...flown by the metal of others. Hard to say, but neither one of us knows.
Carl