Qantas Airways Limited and British Airways Plc Applications for authorisation (A30226 and A30227)

Qantas Airways and British Airways application for authorisation of Restated Joint Services Agreement

The ACCC examined the claims made by Qantas and British Airways and formed the view that: there are separate markets for business and leisure travellers on long haul routes; while the JSA will lessen competition in all international markets where both airlines have an operational presence, the UK business passenger market is the only market where the lessening of competition appears to be substantial; the JSA is likely to lead to significant cost savings for Qantas and British Airways and these are likely to be passed on to customers; public benefits associated with schedule options have diminished over time and there are no significant net export, employment or tourism public benefits. Overall, the ACCC considered there to be a small net benefit. Accordingly, authorisation was granted for a period of five years.