Potential Continental merger

[HottootrotNyc]

The Taxpayer comes to mind...as far as the 'forker' you mentioned goes.

That would be wrong to use tax payer money to keep an airline running. If that was to happen then the gov't should be prepared to do the same for every airline in America, as it would then put UAL at an unfair advantage. The gov't has no business stepping in to assist an airline, if the airline can't make it on it's own, it's time for something to happen.

 

[brokenwrench]

That would be wrong to use tax payer money to keep an airline running. If that was to happen then the gov't should be prepared to do the same for every airline in America, as it would then put UAL at an unfair advantage. The gov't has no business stepping in to assist an airline, if the airline can't make it on it's own, it's time for something to happen.

I agree 100%!
The loans given out by the government after 911 only prolonged the agony in the industry. US and HP should have long ago ceased operating.

 

[wings396]

Loans vs bailouts are 2 different things. As far as I know US/HP paid back what they owed, as did most other Airlines that took gvmt money after 9/11. The fallout of 9/11 on the industry was brutal, and the government needed to step in to help out.
I suppose that you would have felt much better had US & HP died leaving all of their employees on the streets out of work. This has to be one of the most foolish comments that I have seen posted in a long time.

 

[Borescope]

The Taxpayer comes to mind...as far as the 'forker' you mentioned goes.

I seriously doubt, "the taxpayer" aka Uncle Sam, is going to put up any money to save any of the airlines. It was hard enough to get them to help after 9/11. and I seem to remember the "tax payers" turned down UAL a couple of times which force them into BK. Right now there is tons of extra aircraft sitting in the desert and I'm sure the bean counters would love to be able to make some money with these aircraft. Too many people were against the auto bailout. It would be another nail in the Dem's coffin to bail out an airline. Right now these guys are looking towards the mid term elections, and low key is the name of the game.

 

[Pi brat]

Loans vs bailouts are 2 different things. As far as I know US/HP paid back what they owed, as did most other Airlines that took gvmt money after 9/11. The fallout of 9/11 on the industry was brutal, and the government needed to step in to help out.
I suppose that you would have felt much better had US & HP died leaving all of their employees on the streets out of work. This has to be one of the most foolish comments that I have seen posted in a long time.

After the merger both loans were paid off with a tidy profit to Uncle Sam. BTW, as I remember it, the government never actually loaned the money, they guaranteed them, at great cost to employees.

 

[FA Mikey]

I suppose that you would have felt much better had US & HP died leaving all of their employees on the streets out of work. This has to be one of the most foolish comments that I have seen posted in a long time.

That may have allowed the industry to better handle the following years. A glut of capacity and a race to the bottom on fares has nearly destroyed and industry.

 

[casual rat]

I don't think the Gov't should have bailed out crack addict Bankers, Freeloaders nor Car Companies either. Unfortunately I don't think the politics du jour will allow Major Airline Failure. Like the Dems are just gonna screw over Unions...Who will be left to vote for them? If United/AA/DL/US were to fail, don't you think regulators would be screaming for changes? Local Gov'ts would lose billions in tax revenues, so would the FEDS. Yeah, everyone wants to see the other guy fail, so they can get their pay raises, but do you really think it'll happen? Really?

 

[FA Mikey]

Yes.

 

[HottootrotNyc]

Yes, nothing has stopped it before and nothing should now. If a business is not viable on it's own. Then the business should be allowed to fail on it's own. You can't reacue one and not the others. It's going to be one big expensive bill if they do.