USA320Pilot said:
According to a recent Aviation Week & Space Technology editorial, United Airlines is back on a glidepath to oblivion.
If true than I believe it would be in US Airways' best interests to terminate its domestic code share relationship with United and move on to another carrier like Northwest or American.
Since I'm not one to take editorials as fact when it is convenient to my crusades, I disagree.
In fact, I can all but guarantee that neither Northwest nor AA is going to codeshare with U. Why?
Northwest--already has a far superior lashup with CO and DL (DL takes care of the east coast quite nicely). Unlike US, these carriers are not teetering on the brink with their Chairman threatening to sell core assets. In fact, selling PSA and MAA would ensure that nobody else with codeshare with U domestically (as these are the assets that other folks really want to codeshare on).
AA--not a chance. I don't know what the APA contract says on the subject, but all the unions on the property will fight tooth and nail over further codesharing. Besides which, U's route network offers very little that AA cannot get itself if it really had any desire (note AA's increase in service to both PIT and CLT from MIA in the last year, for instance).
Neither of these really matter--if U wants to become/remain a member of Star, it clearly rules out any involvement with either mentioned carrier.
Further, and this is a fact that some people really don't want to admit: either one of these carriers can simply wait for U to fold, get the assets they really want for the same amount of money they would have spent on the integration issues for a codeshare. Without any pesky union issues. Northwest will grab PHL for the international stuff, American will put their own metal onto the shuttle routes/slots.