The whole thing was simple. Had ATA gone chapter 7, MDW gates would have gone up for bid and there is no way the City of Chicago would have sold them all to SWA. So they get into the loan sharking business. Here's some money, pay us back at the end of the month. Don't have the money? no problem, we'll just take one of your gates as payment. Not enough to meet the vic next month? No problem, we'll just take another gate. All your gates are gone? Well, we'll sell the stock and you can owe someone else.
You've already got a deal worked out with AWA? A deal that integrates the list and the employees keep their jobs? Well, we'll place a little call to Boeing and see how they feel about AWA's plans for the ATA leases. Hmmm, imagine that, they didn't like your plan as much as you thought they would. Don't worry, we'll make the whole thing easier by installing a puppet to be your new CEO, a man who couldn't possibly have anything other than the best interests of ATA at heart.
Big business in the new millenium. Find a way to get around the cumbersome shackels of a free marketplace and get 14? gates at MDW without having to bother with bids and anti-trust issues.
With any luck, when the violation is finally complete, ATA will be able to limp back to some charter/military work.
There is a lot of talk about the TWA/AA similarities. There is one major difference, however. TWA guys have an AA number and will be recalled someday.
TC
