EU opens probes into Star, oneworld alliances

The European Union opened antitrust investigations Monday into seven airlines that fly lucrative transatlantic routes as part of the Star and Oneworld airline alliances, saying it suspected their cooperation was illegal.

The European Commission said the cooperation within the two groups on routes between Europe and North America “appears far more extensive” than the joint approach on other routes.

“On the basis of what the commission has seen so far, we think there may be breaches of antitrust rules,” said EU spokesman Jonathan Todd. He said issues such as schedules, capacity and pricing were key in the probes.

The Star Alliance airlines targeted by the investigation are Air Canada, Lufthansa and United as well as Continental Airlines, which is expected to join after getting a nod from the U.S. Department of Transportation this month.

The members of Oneworld under investigation are American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia.