NW has always made the most sense to me, although it would be a downright UGLY mess of integrating the employee groups; perhaps even uglier than a with Delta.
I am wondering if NW hasn't been Doogie's target all along, with Delta as a smokescreen.
If the Delta thing goes down the tubes, I think Doogie will make a run at NW, since he really wants to acquire a carrier that's in bankruptcy. The "master plan" is contingent on the ability to shed capacity without paying a penalty, and that requires the bought carrier to be in bankruptcy.
A merger with NW would likely mean that the name "USAirways" would survive, or a brand new name would be developed.
NW has always made the most sense to me, although it would be a downright UGLY mess of integrating the employee groups; perhaps even uglier than a with Delta.
I am wondering if NW hasn't been Doogie's target all along, with Delta as a smokescreen.
If the Delta thing goes down the tubes, I think Doogie will make a run at NW, since he really wants to acquire a carrier that's in bankruptcy. The "master plan" is contingent on the ability to shed capacity without paying a penalty, and that requires the bought carrier to be in bankruptcy.
A merger with NW would likely mean that the name "USAirways" would survive, or a brand new name would be developed.
UAL or NWA is the BEST choice for US, without question because it makes sense. I travel on NWA quite often and see many similarities between the two carriers (not really a fan of their "Open Boarding"though). Seniority can be such an issue with some people though......why can't people accept YOU ARE CREDITED WITH WHAT YOU EARNED? Pilot seniority is another issue though....equip/pay/trips etc and needs LEVEL HEADED Negotiating of Give/Take. As far as the Name....I would probably guess ANYONE who were to acquire/ merge with NWA would be required to KEEP the NORTHWEST name in the corporate name due to the political nature of bilaterals and route authorities- many times a Corporation will have provisions in place that REQUIRE it. Anyways it is pure speculation.
I agree that UAL is also a good fit as far as the route structure is concerned, but UAL is not in bankruptcy and Doogie can't weasel out of contracts to slim it down where there might be overlap. Besides, UAL employees are probably tied with Delta as far as animosity against USAirways.
I can't say for sure about bilaterals requiring a particular name. Years ago, when Delta acquired most of PanAm's European operation, they immediately changed the name to Delta. And the loads fell through the floor for a while because no one in Europe had ever heard of Delta before. So, historically, changing the name on overseas routes has been done.
