UAL Seeks Transpacific Joint Venture with ANA

A United Airlines executive says the carrier wants to pursue a joint venture with Continental Airlines and Japan’s All Nippon Airways for flights across the Pacific.

Those three carriers already sell seats on each other’s planes. A joint venture would allow closer coordination and more revenue sharing.

United Chief Financial Officer Kathryn Mikells told analysts on Wednesday that talks are under way between the three airlines for such a joint venture.

Before a joint venture could be set up, All Nippon Airways would need to be added to the antitrust immunity that United and Continental already have for international flights. And the U.S. and Japan would need an open skies agreement to free up flights between the two countries.

United is a unit of UAL Corp.

12/9/2009 10:51 AM CHICAGO