Delta Air Lines Inc., the third-largest U.S. airline, said again that it might have to file for bankruptcy if it can’t reduce costs to stem losses or if cash drops to an “unacceptably low level.” Delta said in a regulatory filing Wednesday that its ability to pay “significant obligations” and avoid bankruptcy this year will depend on jet-fuel prices and average fares. The price of fuel has increased 56% this year, and average fares rose less than 1% last month over 2004.
http://aogdesk.org/v-web/b2/index.php?p=877&c=1#comments
Apparently, those fare increases aren't doing as much as you might think. What you don't realize is that many of the fare increases only stick for a short period of time (a week or so), then they get rolled back with fare sales. Plus, fares are falling on other routes as LCC's launch new routes. Grinstein has said repeatedly that the fare increases aren't enough and since you believe everything Grinstein says, you must believe this too.
I guess Airtran adding ATL-CLT, ATL-SRQ, ATL-IND, ATL-RIC and ATL-CUN has no effect on DL either.
The reason DL has held off on selling ASA (or Comair) is that they are waiting to see if they will have to file CH11. There's no point in selling ASA/Comair if you know you're going to have to file anyway. DL will need those assets in order to get out of CH11.