Finnair is to join the British Airways and American Airlines joint business across the Atlantic.
The move is scheduled to take place “later this year” and will increase the number of flights and services available through the joint business, which also includes BA’s sister company Iberia .
The joint business should also benefit from the proposed merger between American and US Airways which is scheduled to be completed by the autumn, subject to approval from regulators.
Finnair will add is AY code to selected American Airlines, British Airways and Iberia flights between North America and Europe, while the other airlines will add their codes to Finnair’s daily flights between Helsinki and New York.
Allister Paterson, Finnair’s senior vice president, commercial, said: “Our participation in this venture will significantly increase the portfolio of available destinations to Finnair’s existing customers, as well as open up northern Europe to a whole new network of potential travellers.
“Fare combinability between the four carriers also brings more ticket flexibility to customers, as the fares and conditions are identical between the airlines. A business traveller soon will be able to combine American, British Airways, Iberian and Finnair routes flexibly when flying between Europe and North America.”
The expansion of the joint business will offer 102 daily round trips between Europe and North America from 42 different airports on both sides of the Atlantic.
Simon Talling-Smith, chair of the Atlantic Joint Business Management Committee, added: “British Airways looks forward to Finnair joining the transatlantic joint business this year.
“The addition of the Helsinki hub to our joint business network will bring faster and easier connections for customers on hundreds of city connections between Europe and North America.”