The worldwide system of air alliances is under threat and could break down, Glenn Tilton, chairman and ceo of United Airlines said.
Mr Tilton was quoted in the London Financial Times as saying that US carriers were looking to overseas investments to support their international strategies.
Mr Tilton was speaking at a symposium organised by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
He said that while no deals had been done, airlines like Air France-KLM and Cathay Pacific were sending signals that "the alliance structure is under threat."
He said that Cathay, a member of the oneworld alliance, had recently signed an agreement with Air China which was in the Star Alliacne and Air France was annoyed that its SkyTeam rival Delta Air Lines was exapnmding its routes and services into Europe.
Mr Tilton said "something is going to replace the existing alliance structure" if consolidation of carriers in Europe and the US continued.
It would be then that United might seek equity stakes overseas to support it.
Accor reports fast growth
French hotel chain Accor reported fast growth in its third quarter results for 2006.
Revenue rose by 6.8% for the three months up to the end of September. For the first nine months of 2006, the hotel group said revenue was up by 7% to 5,641m.
It said that hotel revenue alone rose 6.3% like-for-like in the third quarter, compared with 5.5% in the first half.
This was led by a "continued strong performance in Northern Europe (Germany, Benelux and the UK) and the recovery that is underway in Southern Europe (France, Spain and Italy)”.
Hotel revenue for the first nine months of 2006 was 4,090m with its up- and mid-market propertied growing by 6.3%, it economy properties both inside and outside the US by 5.1%.
Revenue growth grew faster in the third quarter for the up- and mid-market hotels, rising 7.6% like-for-like in the third quarter, compared with a 5.7% increase in the first half.
The hotel chain said: “The highly favourable first-half trend observed in Northern Europe continued into the third quarter.
"In Germany, revenue was up 14% like-for-like for the period, compared with 10.4%
growth in the first six months of the year.
"In the United Kingdom, revenue rose 12.3% like for-like in the third quarter, versus a 7.5% increase in the first half.
"In Southern Europe, the recovery is underway. Business was lifted in the third quarter by sharp growth in Italy (11.4% compared with 8.0% in the first half) and Spain (14% and
9.9%, respectively).
"In France, revenue increased 4.5% like-for-like in the third quarter, versus a 2.1% rise in the first half."
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