Alaska Merger Talks?

[ACAFool]

With all these merger talks and rumors, any flying around at Alaska?

 

[mach none]

With all these merger talks and rumors, any flying around at Alaska?

Fly the contract,FOM and don't do anything stupid...big brother is watching.

And NO.

 

[C77MD80]

As soon as AA gets enough cash in the bank... ka-ching!.....
Just watch out for the staple, it hurts in the A$$

 

[mach none]

As soon as AA gets enough cash in the bank... ka-ching!.....
Just watch out for the staple, it hurts in the A$$

Uh...how much cash dim rod? This rumor has been floating around for about 10 years or more. Maybe we are buying virgin america...after all, Ayer and Branson were seen on our jet together about one week ago.

 

[Mach 80]

Talk about buying airlines -- one of my SWA buddies gave a ride to an AA guy. They talked about the new fight over doing away with the Wright amendment. The AA guy told my SWA buddy, in all seriousness, that if the Wright amendment went away that AA would probably just buy SWA.


Apparently this AA guy hasn't checked the economic situation at airlines in a while. AA buying SWA would be akin to me buying out Bill Gates.

 

[fokkers&beer]

You got that right. Just how pompous those legacy guys are.

 

[freighterguy]

anyone else here smell a jacka~~...

 

[ferlo]

Alaska is going to take all of the money they have stolen from the pilots and pull a "do over" to what they did in 85 when they bought jet america with the pilots money. This time it's Frontier. The merger will be announced inside of 12 months. Due to Alaskas lack of scope clause, (thanks K(C)asher you As*hole) Alaska managment will just whipsaw the two groups. If Alk doesn't accept an even crapier contract then they have they will just grow Frontier, or Horizon for that matter. The writing is on the wall, Helen Keller could see it at this point.

 

[Ty Webb]

Why the hell would they buy Frontier?

AirTran would be a much more logical choice, with a heavy East coast presence, similar fleet and $350 mil in cash.

 

[IAHERJ]

Yeah, Buy us. We promise to behave!

IAHERJ

 

[HowlinMadMurdoc]

Why the hell would they buy Frontier?

AirTran would be a much more logical choice, with a heavy East coast presence, similar fleet and $350 mil in cash.

Since I don't have anything else better to do this Sunday morning than make WAG's about mergers...

How about AirTran buying (or doing a hostile takeover of) Midwest then Alaska merging with the AirTran/Midwest airline. The new airline would have a West/East coast and Midwest/South presence. Not to mention, AirTran and Midwest share a commonality - the original RJ, DC-9, er 717, Alaska/Midwest share the MD80 commonality, and Alaska/AirTran share the 737 commonality. The new airline would have only 3 types - 717, MD80 series, and 737. Don't forget, Boeing wants to remove any MD-series planes from service and sell more 737's. So, in theory, if this three-way merger were going to happen, it's not inconceivable that Alaska and Midwest would replace their MD80's with 737's and AirTran/Midwest would replace their 717's with 737's. Now you have you a competitor to SWA and flying only one type of plane.

Ty, I know you've already speculated that an AirTran/Midwest merger isn't going to happen (and I believe Midwest's TH will not let it happen either - he'll go down with the ship), but I've heard from several different sources that AirTran execs were at Midwest's HQ recently. Who knows why but Midwest's stock has been climbing this week and several people who are investors are hearing the same merger talk. My concern would be Skyway in a merger scenario. Alaska has Horizon and AirTran doesn't believe in the RJ feed. Merger Horizon with Skyway? Or maybe Midwest MEC and Skyway MEC will agree to a seniority list integration before any merger was finalized.

Who knows...I'm only along for the ride. Time to find a bar...

We know return you to your regularly scheduling programming...

HMM

 

[Ty Webb]

Interesting.

I have heard the Midex stuff before. They would seem likely candidates bexause their entire business plan needs changing and their market cap is so low.

AirTran's problem with the RJ is that we could do it cheaper and with a higher completion factor ourselves. In ATL, with limited gate space and running on mainline routes, it didn't work, but I am sure the MEH books show whether it is worthwhile to have feed at MKE.

 

[Freight Dog]

Watch, it's Aloha that ALK will buy - wingleted B737NG fleet with a 180 minute ETOPS certificate, and oh yeah... in Chapter 11 so we're a bargain too. Combine the two, and it completes the whole picture - Alaska and Hawaii to the West Coast to East Coast... and only 340 or so pilots.

 

[mach none]

Watch, it's Aloha that ALK will buy - wingleted B737NG fleet with a 180 minute ETOPS certificate, and oh yeah... in Chapter 11 so we're a bargain too. Combine the two, and it completes the whole picture - Alaska and Hawaii to the West Coast to East Coast... and only 340 or so pilots.

We will know in 6 to 12 months what the greedy ba$tards have in mind.

 

[Singlecoil]

I wonder if Richard Branson was secretly interviewing ol' Bill for a position with his new airline. Imagine the dilemma we would then face: Would we rally around our new leader, George Bagley, to drive Bill Ayer's new company out of business? I think I would prefer the slow, painful demise from crewmeal lysteria, as that is all I can afford to eat.

 

[English]

Frieght Dog, you still dreaming or what?

Like I've said before, now that the payscales match, it would be a perfect fit.

 

[Freight Dog]

Dammit, you're right. I'm still dreaming!!! I need to put the crack pipe down.

As far as the payscales go, ALK's current pay is what ours was after we took ATSB paycuts. Right now, ours is 10% lower due to these last concessions.

Other than that, it would be a nice match - same fleet, similar QC operations, ETOPS certificate, and we're in Chapter 11 which makes us ripe for a buyout or a merger.

 

[Ty Webb]

Same fleet? Did AK get some 757 and L-Tenasaurus aircraft that no one told me about?

 

[BarbrPole2theOM]

I think they are talking about Aloha, not ATA

 

[mach none]

What are the Aloha bases?