Consolidation

ta152 said:
I don't work in the airline industry but I like airplanes. I am curious why airline people always talk about mergers with other airlines when it seems like fuel prices are the down fall for many airlines. Why don't airline companies that are struggling try to hook up with companies like
Shell, Exxon, or Chevron ? You don't see oil companies going broke, just getting richer and richer. They could do it like Buick is a sub company of GM. Delta is a sub of Chevron. Just a thought. (now everybody can yell at me. :rolleyes: )
[post="302815"][/post]​

I'm not gonna yell, but why would an oil company supplier to airlines want to buy or merge with an airline? Oil companies like making money, not losing it. And owing an airline looks like a sure way to lose money.

All the airline in the USA put together don't have enough money or market cap to buy or force a merger with even a middle-sized oil company.

Airplanes are hideously expensive too, but you don't see Boeing or Airbus (or Embraer or Canadair) buying/merging with an airline. (yeah - I know, UAL was once owned by Boeing).

Besides - owning an oil company looks great at $65/bbl. Remember a few years ago when oil crashed to about $10/bbl? Only looks like a great deal when the price is high - it would really suck to own an oil company if the world price of oil collapsed again.
 
and never forget - though many have - that it was Ted Kennedy that sponsored the bill that Carter signed. No help for the airlines until all the unions are broken and the BK precedents regarding union contracts are reset to allow no protection - FACT!
 
mwa said:
and never forget - though many have - that it was Ted Kennedy that sponsored the bill that Carter signed. No help for the airlines until all the unions are broken and the BK precedents regarding union contracts are reset to allow no protection - FACT!
[post="302843"][/post]​


Well few forget that it was Kennedy, however what seems to have been forgotten is who else sponsored the measure. Could you tell us?

As far as "FACT", what are you claiming is fact? That Kennedy sponsored the bill or the No help for the airlines until the unions are broken? If you claim the later then you are mistaken because Kennedy amended the measure to include LPPs that protected unionized workers-FACT!
 
mwa said:
and never forget - though many have - that it was Ted Kennedy that sponsored the bill that Carter signed. No help for the airlines until all the unions are broken and the BK precedents regarding union contracts are reset to allow no protection - FACT!
[post="302843"][/post]​


It is one of the many examples proving that while Democrats may talk a good game that they are on labors side, they aren't really.

If it comes down to letting you strike or leaving the public stranded, the public is going to win. The people in Washington, Rep's and Dem's, are operating purely under the "who will give me the most votes to get back into office or advance my career" plan.

The only reason they keep floating big companies though bankruptcies that should have finished them is because the people in rural towns would be stranded and large corporations going under put a lot of people on the unemployment log books. Nobody wants that on "their watch".
 
Bob Owens said:
Well few forget that it was Kennedy, however what seems to have been forgotten is who else sponsored the measure. Could you tell us?

Senator Howard Cannon (D-NV), headed up the subcommittee.

Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA)

James Pearson (R-KS) had a competing bill which was consolidated into the Cannon-Kennedy bill.

There were four other co-sponsors in the Senate:

Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) whose primary mission was to make sure that the bill contained provisions for the EAS program
Senator Wendall Ford (D-KY)
Senator Riegle (D-MI)
Senator Schmitt (R-NM)

You also had Representative Harold Johnson (D-CA) and Glenn Anderson (D-CA) who got a companion bill moving in the House.