LOT Polish Airlines and Lufthansa will begin code-sharing flights between Berlin and Warsaw on Monday as part of a recently signed cooperative agreement. The six weekly Berlin-Warsaw roundtrips will be operated by LOT using a 737. Thirty seats on each flight, split evenly between business and economy classes, will be allotted for Lufthansa passengers. In November, LOT and Austrian Airlines began joint-venture flying between Krakow and Vienna. Under that agreement, the two carriers will share profits and costs, and coordinate flight schedules.
British Midland Chairman Michael Bishop, an opponent of state subsidies for airlines, says he is "delighted that Lufthansa is now putting its weight firmly behind the argument for reform." Bishop said the European airline community is now divided into two camps - the traditionalists and the reformers.
TAP Air Portugal has received authority from the European Commission to begin taking delivery of four Airbus A340s to replace Lockheed L-1011s. The EC had held up delivery to ensure that Portuguese government guarantees will cover loans from British, French and German banks for the aircraft.
