As for real US Airways, the principal event of its week was Parker’s widely anticipated appearance before the National Press Club. The expectation was that the personable CEO would charm the national press corps as he laid out the reasons why a merger would help both American and US Airways. But the event seemed to be a bit of a letdown, as a moderator read a series of questions – many unrelated to the merger – from note cards. If Parker wanted to show that he can be an effective national spokesman for the airline industry, he clearly did so, but he didn’t break much ground in the merger effort.