Merger rumors continue...

WNMECH said:
Some people think the DOJ was wrong to approve AA.
The DOJ thought they were right and approved it anyway.

Some people think the DOJ would be wrong to approve a WN merger.
It would only matter what the DOJ thinks on that one too.

If a person relies on a certain set of facts to determine if a merger should be done, and the DOJ uses the same or a different set of facts to determine if it should be done and approves it anyway,
Who is really wrong?

If a person believes that Delta should not be able to trespass on WN leased gates due to the WARA, but a judge or the government lets it continue anyway, was the person wrong?

Wow, I am even starting to reason like WT.

Ok, E's credibility is still intact but on this subject unproven.
Mine may be alittle shaky though.
The mistake you are making is assuming that someone has to be wrong.  As long as my opinion is based on fact and reason, it isn't wrong even if the judge doesn't listen to me.  My opinion is just different from the prevailing opinion.  We each can take the same set of facts and end up with a different conclusion.  Doesn't mean one of us is wrong.  Just my interpretation of those facts is not the same as yours.
 
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FWAAA said:
If the merger of InBev and Miller is approved, and if Marriott can merge with Starwood, then anything is technically possible. Despite those mergers, and the previous airline mergers, I don't think that the government would approve a merger between WN and AS or WN and B6 unless the acquired company were failing.
Two great examples. I think the main difference with those are the fact you have a multitude of brands involved, and they're not considered common carriers or concessions (which definitely applies in certain portions of telecom and in transportation).

Marriott/Starwood can also make an argument they don't actually have a controlling market share since they only own the reservations platform, loyalty programs, and the brands. The actual properties people are doing business with are largely owned by outside parties.

InBev/Miller may have to unload some of its smaller brands, and likely will have to dissolve the MillerCoors JV, but that's a relatively minor giveback (and probably a net positive for Coors, City & Pabst).
 
WNMECH said:
However, you did already admit you were wrong on the AA-US approval by saying it shouldn't have happened also, but it did.
So I guess your credibility on the subject may be a little in doubt.
.
No, you are using fallacious reasoning.  To say that an allowed merger should not have been allowed does not make the person wrong who said it shouldn't have been allowed.  It just says that the government did not listen to him.  His credibility is not based on his opinions.  His credibility is based upon whether or not his statements of fact are factual.  I have never known E, to make a flat statement that he could not back up with a quote, a chart, or link to a document/news article.
 
If anyone's credibility is in question it would be yours because you seem to think that opinions and statements of fact are equal in logical discourse.  Not so.
 
By the way, the AA-US merger should not have been allowed, but the government had already allowed others that should not have been allowed.  Therefore, they had no logical argument--such as resulting market share--to disapprove of the AA-US merger.
 
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VX isn't merging with WN. The rumor is that VX is talking to Etihad, and that's something I've suggested for a while (not necessarily VX) since it matches their patterns in Australia, Germany, and other countries where they could get an ownership stake in a flailing airline for a song. VX fits that description.

Oh, and if it were VX with WN, those gates at DAL would revert back to AA in a heartbeat...
 
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eolesen said:
VX isn't merging with WN. The rumor is that VX is talking to Etihad, and that's something I've suggested for a while (not necessarily VX) since it matches their patterns in Australia, Germany, and other countries where they could get an ownership stake in a flailing airline for a song. VX fits that description.

Oh, and if it were VX with WN, those gates at DAL would revert back to AA in a heartbeat...
A big IF indeed.  However, if I was to guess I would think that another possibility could be the gate Delta is using now could very well be givin back to SWA. The 2 gates Virgin has could be split up with one going to Delta (or maybe both going to Delta) and if Delta did not take both, the other may be put up for bids for another LCC to come in at DLF.  I do not see SWA getting the two gates IF there was a merger of SWA/Virgin.  As robbed has pointed out, JB might be a very good blend and at least is an LCC with the same A/C type.
 
You forget AA owns the leases on the gates and I doubt they would give them to DL, instead of fighting for themselves to use.
 
No I didn't forget.  Did they not own them when they were forced to give up the 2 gates?  What makes you think all of a sudden that they will get to come back?  I do believe AA is restricted from returning to LF for 10 years, again, I think, not positive.
 
Yes, they were forced to give up use of the gates to an LCC other than WN.  They did not give up ownership (so to speak) of the gates.  If anything changes about the occupancy of the gates, control of the gates reverts to AA.  Now, they might still be blocked from using the gates for some period of time, but they might very well have final say in who got to use them in the interim.  (My guess would be that AA would NOT sub-lease them to Delta.  Just a hunch.  :lol:)
 
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For the sake of a dear friend who flies for Frontier, let's hope that the idea of a between Frontier and Spirit is nothing more than idle speculation.  BTW, the link works.  It just takes a little longer to load.
 
K. Thx. I'm not to sure if SWA would like seeing that merger either.  The nego's with our Pilots, Mechanics and F/A's might tell a story if SWA is serious about a merger in the near future.  If they all really start speeding up and getting done this year might be a telling story that they need to finish the open contracts prior to merger.  Edit:  Here was another article about merger possibilities also picking JB as the favorite or at least most likely.
 
I wouldn't rule out anything right now *except* for WN getting a green light on holding the primary lease on any more than the 16 gates they already have.

That includes AA subleasing to DL should something happen regarding Virgin, and AA going back to the DOJ and arguing that if they're separate & distinct markets as DL has argued, perhaps the settlement agreement should be adjusted.

And, should the deal with WN and UA get reversed, now that UA has a new CEO and oil is back in the 30-40 range, perhaps they could decide to re-enter DAL.

If WN were to merge, they'd be divesting assets where they have critical mass due to the merger, and that includes DAL.