And that's precisely why AA is where they are today. Had they capitalized on their purchases instead of dismantling them, they wouldn't be looking up at their larger counterparts.
that's rather rich coming from a supporter of an airline that has closed .... how many hubs?... and not just closed the hubs, but lost the local market in those hubs as well ... and thought that the choice had to be between PIT and PHL, for some reason unable to believe they could operate BOTH.
In fact, if US had retained its PIT hub and figured out how to make it work, it would be in a far different competitive shape than it is today - and not have this huge hole in the middle of its network.
In fact, US' performance is rather apparent, - whether it is transatlantic or domestic. The US airline industry still generates huge amounts of data that is available for others to see - far more than other airlines. It is precisely because that data is available that there are those of who know EXACTLY how successful an airline is at what they do - or not.
Before you declare victory, you might want to consider that the NDA process is not exclusive.... BA probably WILL NOT be the last. AA has made no commitment to anyone - and may STILL emerge as a standalone.
Even if AA-US emerge, you and fans of the merger COMPLETELY ignore the fact that there are a half dozen other airlines in the US who have NO INTEREST in seeing AA-US succeed and will launch an endless array of assaults on their combined network.
Never before in the history of US aviation has there been a time when a merger could play out in a competitive situation as aggressive as it is now. Anyone who fails to appreciate that is nothing short of ignorant of how the world works.
I never expected to win friends based on what I post here. I post here because it is what I believe - and I am willing to stand by until the evidence is sufficiently present to be able to weigh whether what I have said is accurate or not.
You might also want to consider that this isn't the first merger proposal that US launched - only to end up w/ US walking home empty-handed.
This is just the beginning of a long process. If US actually finally succeeds at merging w/ AA, it will need every star in the universe aligned in its favor for years to come in order for the merger to not only work but to succeed against the competitive assaults that are certain to come - and they most certainly will not involve only Delta.
And AA employees who have endured 10 years of h78l will be subjected to yet another round that will most certainly leave them worse off than they are today.
