Big U.S. airlines' foreign buying spree raises competition questions
by Hugo Martin, Los Angeles Times
Feb 27, 2018
4 minutes
The nation's biggest airlines, having consolidated control over most domestic flights, are buying big stakes in foreign carriers, a push they say gives fliers access to more international destinations but critics say only makes it harder for smaller foreign rivals to compete.
"They see that as a way of solidifying their presence in these other markets," said Seth Kaplan, managing partner for the trade publication Airline Weekly and author of a book on Delta Air Lines.
For the big U.S. carriers, the strategy behind such deals has several benefits: The airlines can book passengers onto flights operated by their foreign partners and reap the profits when the partner carrier succeeds.
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