BRITISHMidland has given the Government a three-month deadline to conclude transatlantic open-skies talks with the US.
Executives from the airline met with Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions officials last week to set down a timetable for open skies to be implemented in 2000.
Chairman Sir Michael Bishop said he wants a result by December to enable British Midland to fly from Heathrow next summer.
He said:”There is no reason for a delay in talks. They should start in the next few weeks. All UK and US airlines should be free to fly on any route, at any frequency, between any British city and any US city and set fares at any competitive level.”
Sir Michael said he had received reassurances from deputy prime minister John Prescott and US transportation secretary Rodney Slater that they wanted open skies.
He added UK-US talks would be helped by the fact that British Airways and American Airlines are no longer requesting to co-operate on transatlantic routes.
British Midland is barred from Heathrow flights to the US under bilateral rules, despite having licences for services to New York, Washington, Boston and Miami. The airline has also applied for six transatlantic routes from Manchester, as exclusively revealed in Travel Weekly last week.
Flights will be launched from Manchester and Heathrow simultaneously with a US partner in a global alliance. The airline is talking to Star Alliance, Air France/Delta Air Lines and KLM’s Wings.
British Midland’s new campaign – Make the Air Fair – exposes the cost of transatlantic premium travel from Heathrow with BA, Virgin Atlantic, United Airlines and American compared to other European hubs. On the most lucrative route, Heathrow-New York, British Midland said all four carriers charge £3,244, but from rival airports the cost can be as low as £1,288.
“The whole situation is wrong,” said British Midland group managing director Austin Reid.
The campaign is targeted at 30,000 passengers and an Internet site, www.maketheairfair.com has been set up for support.