Delta objects to discounter's JFK-London plans
The plans of low-cost carrier Zoom Airlines to fly from New York JFK to London Gatwick are facing opposition from potential rival Delta Air Lines. Travel Weekly (free registration) writes that Delta filed an objection last week with the Department of Transportation in which it questioned whether Zoom is in full compliance with U.S. foreign ownership rules. "Zoom was established in Canada and still flies from eight Canadian cities to five in the U.K., and from four Canadian cities to Paris. But last August, the Bank of Scotland acquired a minority stake in Zoom, which used the money to create a sister company in the U.K. to fly to non-Canadian destinations," Travel Weekly writes. "Zoom did not say anything about that in its application," the publication adds, saying that Zoom described itself simply as a "United Kingdom company." Zoom's application apparently offered no additional information regarding the relationship between the "U.K. company" and the Canadian one. As for Delta, it's upset with what is says calls Zoom's "lack of information and the close, but unexplained, linkage between Zoom Airlines and Canadian controlled/owned Zoom Airlines Inc." In its objection, Delta says that "if, as it appears, Zoom is owned and controlled by Canadian citizens," then its application essentially is an "attempted end run" around bi-lateral aviation agreements in place between the U.S. and both Canada and the U.K.
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