What is next for the Northwest-KLM transatlantic joint venture? The two carriers expect to continue to open new gateways on the US side, including airports that do not have any transatlantic service.
Northwest and KLM started this trend last summer with the launch of service from Hartford, Connecticut to Amsterdam using a Northwest Boeing 757. Northwest vice-president of international alliances Nat Pieper and KLM senior vice-president network Pieter Elbers say the service has been successful and in future could potentially be upgraded to a widebody. "It will be a natural trend to see Hartford-like routes arising in the next few years," Elbers says. Pieper adds: "That's where we really see the growth."
They say airports such as Hartford are becoming attractive as major gateways such as New York JFK and Boston Logan suffer delays due to increasing congestion.
Elbers says Northwest and KLM also prefer to focus on adding US gateways because other carriers, in particular Delta Air Lines, have been focusing on adding gateways in Europe. This summer Northwest-KLM will add Dallas and Portland, Oregon as new transatlantic gateways in addition to London Heathrow.
Delta's transatlantic flying is now much bigger than the combined Northwest-KLM operation (see above). But the success of the Northwest-KLM joint venture has attracted the attention of Delta and Air France, which will establish their own transatlantic joint venture from April. All four carriers are now seeking anti-trust immunity for a proposed four-way venture. Pieper says the application should be approved "by end of first quarter and certainly by end of next summer", allowing the four SkyTeam carriers "to take the transatlantic franchises and put them together".
KLM and Northwest began their alliance in 1989 with 104 weekly flights and set up their joint venture in 1997.
Source: Airline Business
