• BA/AA would control 63% of London Heathrow - New York JFK capacity
  
  

Virgin Atlantic, one of the world’s leading long-haul airlines, today unveiled a new consumer website to help passengers say no way to BA/AA’s planned anti-competitive alliance.
The website, www.virginatlantic.com/monstermonopoly, enables consumers to find out why BA and AA plan to create a monster monopoly on key routes between London Heathrow and the US. Highlights of the website include:

• The five myths about the effective merger of BA and AA
  
  
• Why it’s a monster monopoly that consumers can’t afford?
  
  
• How BA and AA would control nearly half of London Heathrow?
  
  
• Why BA is already bigger than other alliances at Heathrow?
  
  

The website will be updated on a regular basis with new information that shows consumers how they would be damaged by the BA/AA monopoly.

The new phase of the No Way BA/AA campaign also features newspaper adverts in the UK and the US. The adverts will prove how dominant BA/AA would be and how consumers will lose out.

BA/AA would have a monopoly or be dominant on many of the routes between the US and Heathrow. BA/AA would control 63% of the capacity between JFK New York and Heathrow; 66% between Chicago and Heathrow; 79% between Boston and Heathrow; 75% between Miami and Heathrow; and 100% between Dallas Fort Worth and Heathrow.

For further information please contact the Virgin Atlantic Press Office on 01293 747373 or log onto www.virginatlantic.com

Editor's Notes:

About Virgin Atlantic

Virgin Atlantic is one of the world's leading long-haul airlines.
It flies to 30 destinations worldwide from its main base at London Heathrow and London Gatwick.
There are 38 aircraft in its fleet, comprising 747-400s, A346-600s and A343-300s.
Sir Richard Branson is the President of Virgin Atlantic; Steve Ridgway is the Chief Executive.
In 2007, Virgin Atlantic carried nearly 6 million passengers.