The approval of the merger between Alaska Airlines and Virgin America and the decision by two more cruise lines to cancel calls in Turkey are the travel industry headlines to watch today.
Approved: Alaska Airlines, Virgin America Merger
The Antitrust Division of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) has approved Alaska Airlines’ acquisition of Virgin America, according to a statement by the DOJ.
The approval did not require Alaska Airlines to divest any assets, but the airline did agree to implement changes to its codeshare agreement with American Airlines. The majority of Alaska and American codeshare flights will remain intact, however, and the DOJ did not require changes to any other agreements between the two airlines, such as interline or reciprocal loyalty agreements.
The two companies said they plan to close the transaction in the very near future, taking into account a lawsuit filed by private plaintiffs in U.S. District Court in San Francisco.
Cunard Line, P&O Cruises Cancel Turkey Calls
In cruise news, Carnival Corporation brands Cunard Line and P&O Cruises have announced they will cancel all calls to Turkey in 2017 following the attempted military coup and series of terrorist attacks in the country earlier this year, Cruise Critic reports. The Turkish ports will be replaced with either stops in Greece or Sarande, Albania.
The move makes the two cruise brands the latest to cancel calls in the country. Holland America, Crystal Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Regent Seven Seas Cruises, Windstar Cruises and Oceania Cruises had already cancelled all Turkey calls through the end of 2016. Norwegian, Regent and Oceania have also cancelled Turkey port calls next year.
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