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Etihad Regrets American Airlines Decision to End Codeshare Deals | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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An Etihad Airways Boeing 777-3FX company aircraft takes off at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Roissy, France, August 9, 2016. REUTERS/Jacky Naegelen


Dubai- Abu Dhabi’s Etihad expressed regret on Thursday on an American Airlines decision to end its codeshare agreement with it.

On Wednesday, American notified the carrier of its decision to no longer share flights with Etihad over accusations to two Gulf carriers that they receive subsidies from their governments.

In code-sharing, airlines sell tickets on each other’s flights and share revenue.

An Etihad spokesman said the carrier was also “disappointed” by American’s decision.

“We view the decision by American Airlines as being anti-competitive and anti-consumer,” the spokesman said, adding it will “reduce choices for consumers and may result in higher fares.”

He said Etihad rejected the “allegations of American and the two other dominant US carriers regarding violations of the relevant air transportation agreements.”

An interline relationship between Etihad and American, which allows customers from two airlines to buy connecting flights on one ticket, would remain in place to connect passengers to secondary markets, an Etihad spokeswoman said.

Etihad flies to six US cities.