Overview
- The DOJ formally endorsed the DOT’s August proposal to deny renewal of antitrust immunity for the Delta–Aeromexico joint venture.
- Both the DOT and DOJ cite restrictive access at Mexico City’s Benito Juárez airport with opaque slot allocations as having undercut competition on US–Mexico routes.
- US and Mexican authorities are engaged in negotiations that have yet to yield a public response from Mexico on the regulators’ slot and access concerns.
- Industry data show the joint venture controls about 20% of US–Mexico seat capacity, underscoring its significance to the transborder market.
- If immunity is revoked, the carriers would be barred from coordinating pricing, schedules and capacity, a change that could reshape competition and service offerings.