WASHINGTON — American Airlines and British Airways on Friday walked away from a proposed alliance rather than give up takeoff and landing slots at London's Heathrow Airport — including six that would have gone to Delta Air Lines.

        The decision was the second time in five years that the two airlines dropped their request to set rates and routes together and sell each other's tickets because federal regulators insisted that they give up the coveted slots as part of the deal.

        “We will not do this deal at this price,” American chairman Don Carty and British Airways chief executive Rod Eddington said in a joint statement. “We made it clear from the start that we would not conclude the deal if the regulatory price was too high. Regrettably, this has proved to be the case.”

        The two airlines said they would still try to work together within existing rules.

        The Transportation Department earlier Friday tentatively agreed to give antitrust immunity for an alliance if the airlines gave away 224 takeoff and landing slots for travel between U.S. cities and Heathrow.

        Atlanta-based Delta, which operates its second-largest hub at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport, would have gotten the most slots at Heathrow, six. Three would have departed from New York's JFK airport, one from Boston and the other two would have been left up to the airline.

        And those two would have most assuredly been from the airline's biggest hubs — Atlanta and Cincinnati.

        Delta chairman and chief executive officer Leo Mullin, whose airline was recently granted antitrust immunity of its own with its European partners Air France, Alitalia and CSA Czech Airlines, welcomed the Transportation Department's decision to open Heathrow.

        Mr. Mullin called it “a welcome and important step that benefits trans-Atlantic customers by providing more competition. We look forward to serving Heathrow from New York (JFK), Boston, Atlanta and Cincinnati as soon as we are able to obtain the necessary slots and facilities.”

        Mr. Mullin said that any talk of antitrust exemptions with British Airways must include allowing more slots at Heathrow.

        “Delta has just learned that British Airways and American Airlines feel the regulatory price of this decision is too high. While we respect their view, we believe the level of slots allocated to new entrants in the tentative order provides the minimum required for vibrant competition.”

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