Delta's relatively better financial position does not insulate it from the financial realities affecting everyone. USAirways may begin to falter at $98/barrel oil, and United may do so at $105/barrel oil, but Delta has a breaking point only a few dollars per barrel above that. You are foolish to think that relative position equates to any absolute success. It doesn't matter if you are in row 1 or row 25 when your plane hits a mountain.
Bankruptcy is not a far-fetched proposition for even Delta. It is a tool for restructuring. Restructuring may be necessary for any or all of employers if the dollar does not gain strength. Delta can do everything right, but if the dollar continues to weaken oil can continue to rocket up through 100, 110 and even 120 dollars a barrel without any disruption to supply. Pay attention, oh wise one. The skies are darkening for everyone.
I was not referring to a growth in aircraft fleet size for Shuttle America's delta operation, but rather citing that Delta has shown a recent continued interest in Shuttle America by asking them to purchase larger aircraft. Politics aside, a newer, larger aircraft at the request of Delta would seem to indicate that Delta has found a purpose and niche for those aircraft and the associated regional supplier.
There is no security for airline employees. Yes, my company could lose a codeshare, and yes that would be disruptive and potentially crippling. Yes, Delta can go back into bankruptcy. Yes, economic policy can cripple our industry and cause a major shift in the landscape. What I fail to see is why you think you are somehow above all of this.
Ok, good post but a quick rebuttel. Delta's financial position is A LOT better than most, primarily because it did go through BK and did restructure, leases (airport and aircraft), got rid of debt (pennies on the dollar), and gave employee pay cuts (everyone, and pilot pensions unfortunately). They used the BK process well, and got most of what they needed. United, on the otherhand, did not, and still has lots of debt.
You are right, at some point there will be a fuel price that will cripple us all. At that point too, America will be crippled, and consumption will go way down. Less consumption will result in larger unused stockpiles, which will cause the price to fall. The good news for us in all of this is that it is also too expensive for the average person to drive long distances, and if they need to travel will probably go by air.
Delta did ask Shuttle America for a larger RJ (the E175 vs the E170), but is trading them in one for one, with United getting the older E170s. The E175 may have more range, or a slightly larger cabin, and that may be what Delta wants from them. There is no current deal asking for more than the allotted number of RJs with Shuttle America, just a one for one deal.
For Delta to go back into BK, would be very risky. BK judges don't really look favorably on airlines that go into BK twice in a row. USAir would have been liquidated had AWA not come to the rescue (something East guys still cannot see), and if Delta goes under again, everyone except Southwest will too, with Southwest hurting badly. Economic policy can hurt an industry, that is true. But not every airline is hurting the same. The low dollar value here can hurt airlines, and it can also help. Europeans are flying TO THE USA at record numbers, and legacy airlines are filling planes FROM ELSEWHERE to HERE. Those people usually go back to THERE, and that roundtrip is fairly inexpensive to them, but our legacies know exactly how much they need to charge to squeek a profit, and that is why the INTL side of legacies is helping out financially. If your airline doesn't have an INTL side, you may be worrying right about now.
I am not above it all, just looking at it at a different angle than most. We may have a small operating loss this quarter, but a profit for the overall year. The Winter and Fall quarters are never as profitable as the Spring and Summer. It is a natural cycle, with high fuel now built in. Airlines with large INTL presence can usually insulate themselves better than solely domestic airlines. It will be an interesting 08.
Bye Bye--General Lee