U.s. Should Let Airlines Merge, Union Leader Says

[USA320Pilot]

U.S. should let airlines merge, union leader says

PITTSBURGH (Tribune-Review) - The U.S. government should let airlines merge to cut capacity and prevent more bankruptcies, the leader of the largest pilots union said. Most major carriers want to consolidate, said Air Line Pilots Association President Duane Woerth. Companies won't offer plans because the government may take years to decide and reject them, he said Wednesday at a breakfast in Washington. "It's really not behaving like a deregulated industry when consolidation is denied," said Woerth, whose union represents 64,000 pilots in the United States and Canada.

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USA320Pilot

 

[FA Mikey]

Said Woerth, whose union negotiates drastically lower pay scales and reduced and eliminated pensions for 64,000 pilots in the United States and Canada.

Yea this is the guy I want business advise from! LOL

 

[funguy2]

And since much is made of Cordle's employment by UAL, Woerth, as I recall, is employeed by NWAC... Somebody correct me if I am wrong. So we cannot leave him out of the "he has an agenda conspiracy".

 

[BoeingBoy]

It's probably just more red journalism from this rag of a tabloid, anyway....

Jim

 

[ua767fo]

U.S. should let airlines merge, union leader says

The U.S. government should let airlines merge to cut capacity and prevent more bankruptcies, the leader of the largest pilots union said. Most major carriers want to consolidate, said Air Line Pilots Association President Duane Woerth.

[post="250552"][/post]​

Duane,
Your opinions are out of line with most ALPA pilots. We do not want mergers without national seniority. You are out of touch with your constituency, and you can not represent all sides as my interests are not the same as a CAL,DAL,NWA,AAA,AMR pilots or any regional pilots interests.

DENVER, CO

 

[ClueByFour]

I guess this means that while Pollack won't talk to the trib they (those purveyors of yellow journalism and tabloid tactics) can still get quotes from the Man at ALPA, but only when it advances the agenda of various AAA ALPA members.

Irony at 11.

 

[USA320Pilot]

Ua767fo:

Two points:

• It’s my understanding that UAL is now “in playâ€￾ and that there could be some very, very interesting news about the company announced in the not-so-distant future.

• ALPA International is now lobbying the federal government to allow mergers between legacy carrier’s, without an antitrust review.

Regards,

USAS320Pilot

 

[tadjr]

• It’s my understanding that UAL is now “in playâ€￾

[post="250995"][/post]​

AirWis gets US and Mesa gets UA. Just watch out if they tell you your dispatch is moving to ICT. RUN! RUN AWAY! 😛h34r:

 

[mrfish3726]

Yeah just what we need TWO bankrupt companies hiding behind the courts to merge together. I don't see it happeneing! IMHO I think that the government is going to stay out of this business entirely and let it right itself whether US or UAL doesn't survive in the end they don't care. That is what the governments plan is, let the markets decide who lives and who dies PERIOD!

 

[Bear96]

Ua767fo:

Two points:

• It’s my understanding that UAL is now “in playâ€￾ and that there could be some very, very interesting news about the company announced in the not-so-distant future.

[post="250995"][/post]​

No #### Sherlock. UA is in major distress; the industry is in upheaval; and you predict "interesting" news will be coming?

Duh! There will be TONS of interesting news forthcoming in the months ahead!

 

[fr8tmastr]

Woerthless does have one point, the government raised all kinds of cain a few years ago and accused the majors of preditory pricing and hurting the smaller carriers. So they stepped in and stopped it. But when the now not so small carriers charge less than cost the government does nothing. In the meantime the majors want to consolidate but the government says no and wont allow it. So are we regulated or not? If the government would not have stepped in, the smaller carriers would have been put under or stayed in whatever niche market they had. So the government protected the small carriers then, and now they are protecting them once again by not allowing companies to merge. It is not fair to do both, either let the companies do what they have to do or reregulate.

 

[JS]

It has nothing to do with airline deregulation. Anti-trust laws require the DOJ to approve of large mergers.

 

[nycbusdriver]

And since much is made of Cordle's employment by UAL, Woerth, as I recall, is employeed by NWAC... Somebody correct me if I am wrong. So we cannot leave him out of the "he has an agenda conspiracy".

[post="250563"][/post]​

Woerth was employed by NW, but his position as ALPA president makes him fairly immune to anything that may or may not happen at NW. While all the other ALPA VP's are somewhat still tethered to their airlines' fortunes, the ALPA president get his his salary and pension even if NW closes its doors. Randy Babbit of EAL fame stayed ALPA president after EAL shut its doors. IOW, Woerth HAS his, and no ALPA president that I can recall ever went back to fly at their airline. Every one in recent memory retired from their ALPA office, not the cockpit.

 

[nycbusdriver]

Yeah just what we need TWO bankrupt companies hiding behind the courts to merge together. I don't see it happeneing! IMHO I think that the government is going to stay out of this business entirely and let it right itself whether US or UAL doesn't survive in the end they don't care. That is what the governments plan is, let the markets decide who lives and who dies PERIOD!

[post="251017"][/post]​

What makes you think the government will stay out of it? They never have, and never will. The government SAYS the airline industry is deregulated, yet they still review all mergers and marketing agreements and airlines must meet government approval for these to occur.

In my mind, that's NOT degregulation. That's call having your cake (flouting the 1978 AIrline Degregulation Act to make voters happy,) and eating it too (continuing interference in airline business matters.) Sure the CAB is long gone, but much of what they did was simply taken over by other government bureaucracies.

 

[mweiss]

The government SAYS the airline industry is deregulated, yet they still review all mergers and marketing agreements and airlines must meet government approval for these to occur.

[post="251265"][/post]​

Perhaps the problem is that you read too much into the word "deregulation." Specifically, airline deregulation refers to the removal of the government's proactive control over routes and fares. That the airlines are still subject to regulations that affect all business in the US is really beside the point.