British Airways, American Airlines and Iberia could be made to give up valuable take-off and landing slots if they are to satisfy European regulatory conditions for their proposed tie-up.
According to the European Commission, the transatlantic agreement the three airlines signed last year is 'likely to result in appreciable competitive harm' on seven European/US routes.
The planned tie-up would significantly bolster the OneWorld alliance by permitting cooperation on fares and marketing, coordinated flight schedules and shared revenues.
BUSINESS LEADERS FEAR TORY DELAY TO CRUCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS
A transition to a Conservative government next year could delay crucial new infrastructure projects, according to the CBI and executives from the energy and construction industries.
CBI director of business environment Neil Bentley said that the prospect of further change to planning rules was creating 'a huge amount of nervousness' among businesses.
EDF chief executive Vincent de Rivaz is also concerned that any delays caused by the transition to a new government could be 'very, very damaging'.
TWTTERING WORKERS 'WASTE' 1.4 BILLION POUNDS A YEAR
According to a survey, 57 per cent of office staff spend 40 minutes per week on social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.
The research by Morse, the information technology services provider, warned that the use of social networks by employees is costing businesses an estimated 1.4 billion pounds a year in lost productivity.
Morse consultant Philip Wicks said: 'When it comes to an office environment the use of these sites is clearly becoming a productivity black hole.'
SURGE IN PATIENTS GOING PRIVATE ON NHS
The latest figures from the Department of Health have revealed that growing numbers of patients are choosing private hospitals for their NHS treatment.
Following the introduction of the government's 'choice' agenda, nearly 100,000 individual patients have chosen the private sector for diagnostics and waiting-list operations.
The revenue of private hospitals has fallen as a result of the economic downturn, though the rise in the number of NHS patients being treated privately has helped to offset the drop in income.
RECESSION DRIVES SPATE OF DEBT-RELATED DISPUTES
A study by law firm Reynolds Porter Chamberlain has revealed that the number of commercial lawsuits launched last year rose by nearly ten per cent, as an expected wave of credit crunch-related litigation started to materialise.
The research found that there were 70,199 civil law cases in the High Court in 2008, compared with 64,046 in 2007. It is thought the banking crisis and the recession led to a rise in creditors pursuing debt-related claims through the courts.
STAFF WORK HARDER TO BEAT RECESSION
Hay Group, the management consultancy, has released a survey suggesting employees are working harder for their organisation to get through the recession, but are increasingly unhappy about doing so.
The research shows just over a third of workers have increased the overtime they put in over the past year, but the same proportion are unhappy in their current role.
'Some companies have borrowed quite heavily on the loyalty of their staff and a lot of people are going to want to see some sort of recognition for their hard work,' says associate director Russell Hobby.
RELAUNCHED JOHN LEWIS WEBSITE SEES CLOTHING SALES SOAR
John Lewis has recorded a surge in online sales of clothing following the revamp of its website last month, which introduced a host of new fashion brands.
'The results we have seen have blown us away,' said the managing director of John Lewis Direct, Robin Terrell. The group had targeted 8.5 million pounds of additional sales from the relaunched fashion website in the half year to January.
It is now likely to reach that target in early December.
WEST HAM EYES STAKE SALE
CB Holdings, the owner of West Ham United, is seeking to sell a stake in the Premier League football club in an attempt to put the business back on a more sound financial footing.
The group is this week expected to appoint Standard Bank and Rothschild to identify a strategic investor. The development comes after several parties were linked with approaches for the club, including former Birmingham City stakeholder David Sullivan and a US consortium, led by Jim Bowe.
However, an insider played down suggestions that West Ham was being prepared for a sale, despite the reported interest.
ASTRAZENECA TO DRAW ON CAR PLANT EXPERTISE
AstraZeneca is paying car assembly plant experts to improve the manufacturing efficiency of its factories. In a job-lending programme sparked by the downturn, the group has agreed to fund two 'lean experts' borrowed from Jaguar Land Rover since the summer.
The move marks a fresh effort by the drugs sector to increase its efficiency, after years in which manufacturing improvements were neglected because they represented such a small part of total medicine costs.
GOLDSHIELD BID BATTLE HOTS UP
The takeover battle for drugs group Goldshield took another twist on Sunday night, after HgCapital sweetened its cash offer to 485 pence a share and moved to shut out a rival bid by AIT Investments.
According to Goldshield, HgCapital now holds an interest in just over 45 per cent of the group. Crucially, Goldshield employee benefit trust, which holds roughly five per cent of company's outstanding share capital, has also given confirmation that it will not vote its shares in connection with a takeover proposal.
A source claims it is now 'mathematically impossible' for AIT Investments to secure an interest in more than 50 per cent of Goldshield's shares.
Prepared for Reuters by Durrants
Keywords: PRESS DIGEST Financial Times
COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
© 2009 AFX News
