DAL sees more mergers and wants cash on hand to participate

[G4G5]

AA buys Jet Blue.

That leave DAL with absolutely nowhere to grow at JFK or EWR. Try expanding the largest airline in the world's market share with nothing more then Pan Am and Eastern's 40+ year old terminals is going to be tough.

If you are a 3rd class citizen in NY, London, Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, LA, SFO, Chicago and Dallas how big can you really grow with Minneapolis, Detroit, Memphis, Salt Lake and CVG, now that SWA is knocking at your door in ATL?

If anyone is looking to purchase Useless Air its DAL, they need PHL

 

[johnsonrod]

AA buys Jet Blue.

That leave DAL with absolutely nowhere to grow at JFK or EWR. Try expanding the largest airline in the world's market share with nothing more then Pan Am and Eastern's 40+ year old terminals is going to be tough.

If you are a 3rd class citizen in NY, London, Washington, Philadelphia, Miami, LA, SFO, Chicago and Dallas how big can you really grow with Minneapolis, Detroit, Memphis, Salt Lake and CVG, now that SWA is knocking at your door in ATL?

If anyone is looking to purchase Useless Air its DAL, they need PHL

If AA buys JB, they will likely give up one of their 2 JFK terminals, AA under utilizes their JFK terminal big time, and they are giving domestic flying to JB anyway. So, Delta could actually expand at JFK if they purchase extra terminal space.

 

[clippyrip]

If AA buys JB, they will likely give up one of their 2 JFK terminals, AA under utilizes their JFK terminal big time, and they are giving domestic flying to JB anyway. So, Delta could actually expand at JFK if they purchase extra terminal space.

So true. Not to mention the whole West coast and beyond. I think people in the East think the world is flat and ships fall to their doom beyond the Mississippi.

 

[G4G5]

If AA buys JB, they will likely give up one of their 2 JFK terminals, AA under utilizes their JFK terminal big time, and they are giving domestic flying to JB anyway. So, Delta could actually expand at JFK if they purchase extra terminal space.

If that were the case why would they purchase them in the first place? A monorail train connecting the terminals, like the one that AA has in DFW is more of a reality.

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

I hear ya and understand. I don't think either of us need to worry about staying west if we merge. I am an 08' hire and am already in SLC. In two years I'll be in SEA on the 76ER. If we merge you'll be put ahead of me on the SLI and that opens up the 76ER and possibly the 330 in SEA. Hopefully, we could just merge the list amicably and avoid fences. It's not like it's all bad...you can bring up our 73 rates and we offer equipment and international options.

If you want to know what I'd like to see it would be for DAL to drive up the price till it was toxic, pull out last minute and let AMR eat that poison pill, then we buy Virgin America and build our own West Coast feed. No offense, just a strategy.

Hey clippy.....

Were you the guy telling everybody that new-hires in 08 would be on the triple 7 also?? I hope your optimism spreads true because the ER in Seattle seems a stretch

 

[Frank Lorenzo]

Look at all of the CEOs behind the keyboards. Mergers already consummated, route authorities finalized, financing laid out, unions integrated, new aircraft procured, DOJ anti-trust issues alleviated. Impressive.

All of you have proven that you will never make it in my world. In 4 pages, never have I seen any mention of the most important part of any deal - the massive executive compensation windfall.

How do any of you guys expect a guy like Richard Anderson to actually go out an consummate a deal with Alaska without a minimum of 8 figures? Making those phone calls is difficult. We are looking at all sorts of phone related injuries - carpal tunnel, sprained fingers, or even worse, tennis elbow!

And what if the executive team was forced to travel? Do you have any idea the hardships that some are forced to endure? My team one had to live through some ghetto 4-star hotel one time! They didn't even have tennis courts!

If any of you want a deal, let's focus on what matters. Making sure that the irreplaceable executives are compensated for their grueling work behind the scenes.

I'm positive you will all do the right thing and take a generous pay cut in honor of those who serve in the trenches of the executive suites across this great country. Your pay cut will subsidize the most important Americans that have made America the second rate (and sliding) power that it is today.

 

[BILL LUMBERG]

As always.... Frank Chimes in!!

Good work!

 

[FBN0223]

It was a 40% pay cut plus work rule changes that amounted to a total of about 50% total pay cut. Trust me...I was there.

I was there as well. Bad memory though, I guess it was more like 40% but at least Compass got a bunch of new jets to fly around.

As a fNWA pilot, for me it wasn't the SLI that was the blunder. The SLI could have been better and worse. But the fact that we continued to squander opportunities to recapture our flying is inexcusable. ALPA, blinded by who is going to be senior to who, once again signed off on massive outsourcing of our airline in the form of scope and codeshare agreements.

With future mergers/contract negotiations, I hope everyone has their eye on the ball and this time DL pilots focus on the real issue and that is OUTSOURCING.

 

[ackattacker]

Good job Frank... that was excellent work.

As for the title of this thread, DAL isn't merging with anyone, the antitrust issue is a huge one. Remember DAL-NWA only got approved because the economy was in the dumps and the merger was sold as a job saver. With airlines in the black, the pendulum swings to consumer protection and no way they'd let the largest airline in the world get bigger.

The way I read the article is that DAL may want to invest partial stakes in foreign airlines.

 

[clippyrip]

Hey clippy.....

Were you the guy telling everybody that new-hires in 08 would be on the triple 7 also?? I hope your optimism spreads true because the ER in Seattle seems a stretch

Nope. I was former NW, we did not have 777s. Never said that.

It's not optimism, it's mathematics.

 

[General Lee]

Good job Frank... that was excellent work.

As for the title of this thread, DAL isn't merging with anyone, the antitrust issue is a huge one. Remember DAL-NWA only got approved because the economy was in the dumps and the merger was sold as a job saver. With airlines in the black, the pendulum swings to consumer protection and no way they'd let the largest airline in the world get bigger.

The way I read the article is that DAL may want to invest partial stakes in foreign airlines.

Anti-Trust problems? Um, no. If there is no route overlap, then it can and will be approved. If there is overlap, then the airlines have to divest themselves to the satisfaction of the Govt.

Could US airlines invest in foreign companies? Sure, supposedly DL was looking at investing in Virgin Atlantic according to an article. But, there will never be a "full" merger with an INTL airline until the rules are changes (ownership %), and the unions will cry to Congress to protect jobs (rightfully so), so that will probably not happen fully.

You seem to be forgetting how fast Airtran/.SWA was approved, and UAL and CAL. I think it took a total of about 1 week. If I were a betting man, I would think a possible hookup eventually could be DL and AK. No overlap, and they are the best thing left out there right now.


Bye Bye--General Lee