Why does Reuters not mention this? I mean
: Was this maybe a smaller alliance?
CHRONOLOGY-KLM's long quest for bigger alliance by Reuters
Fri September 12, 2003 07:45 AM ET AMSTERDAM, Sept 12 (Reuters)
- Shares in Dutch airline KLM rose on Friday as investors shrugged off the carrier's denial that it had agreed on a partnership with larger European rival Air France and chose to focus instead on the swelling speculation that a tie-up would soon be announced.
The following is a chronology of KLM's drive to team up with other airlines to extend its reach:
September 1989 - A group including KLM buys out Northwest Airlines. KLM to take a 57 percent stake in the U.S. carrier.
November 1989 - KLM agrees to reduce stake in Northwest Airlines to 20 percent in line with demands from the U.S. government. Continues working with Northwest in transatlantic alliance.
October 1991 - KLM and British Airways in talks on some form of link-up.
February 1992 - British Airways and KLM break off merger talks which would have embraced KLM's alliance with Northwest.
September 1992 - KLM/Northwest equity alliance dating back to 1989 gets U.S. anti-trust immmunity in tandem with bilateral "open skies" trade agreement between the United States and the Netherlands.
January 1993 - KLM begins talks with Swissair, SAS and Austrian Airlines about creating an alliance of Europe's smaller airlines.
November 1993 - Plan for "Alcazar" alliance of four rival European airlines breaks down because of rivalry between their U.S. partners. KLM sticks with Northwest while Swissair, Austrian and SAS keep Delta Air Lines.
September 1997 - KLM sells back its 20-percent stake in Northwest. The two sign a 10-year commercial pact.
December 1997 - KLM and Alitalia sign a close cooperation agreement. KLM executive eventually takes charge of their passenger joint venture, while an Alitalia representative heads their cargo businesses.
May 1999 - KLM says it is looking for a possible cooperation with Air France.
April 2000 - KLM pulls the plug on its partnership with Alitalia because of uncertainty over Milan's controversial Malpensa airport and the Italian carrier's stalled privatisation.
June 2000 - KLM and BA re-enter merger discussions.
September 2000 - KLM ends talks with BA on a possible takeover after KLM refuses to give up its national identity.
October 2001 - BA says it has re-entered talks with KLM about a commercial alliance.
July 2002 - KLM says it held exploratory alliance talks with Air France about joining the SkyTeam grouping that also includes Delta Air Lines.
December 2002 - An arbitration court orders KLM to pay a 250 million euro fine and interest for breaking its partnership with Alitalia, but the Italian carrier must repay 100 million which KLM invested in the Malpensa hub.
August 2003 - KLM says no longer in talks with BA on joining the worldwide 'oneworld' alliance of carriers that also includes American Airlines.
September 2003 - Speculation mounts that KLM is nearing a decision to join SkyTeam, pushing its shares to 10-month highs. Chairman of Northwest, which also expects to be invited to join its U.S. alliance partners Delta and Continental Airlines in SkyTeam, is quoted as saying its Dutch partner had "definitely chosen" an alliance with Air France.
