Actually, I don't pay any attention to what people are saying in the WSJ, Tribune, etc. Those fools don't know how to accurately report this industry. I read the stories, but take them with a silo full of salt, if you know what I mean. But, my wavering feelings just come from my gut instinct based upon the give and take with the ATSB and the little bit of intel that is hitting the public from respected trade publications like Aviation Daily and Aviation Week. I've heard that the ATSB is a little peeved about the pressure they're getting from UA in the form of the 30,000-plus letters of support from employees, as well as congressional lobbying, hence the leaked letter to Jake Brace last week. I could see this going one of two ways: either the ATSB gives conditional approval of our application, but conditions it upon much steeper requirements than we currently meet, thereby throwing into question whether we can meet them, or they'll simply play the time card to their advantage and drag this out. Arguably, we only have about 2-3 weeks before we'll be forced to file for Ch.11. So if the ATSB simply stalls on making a final decision, it might force us to file for bankruptcy because we simply run out of time.
However, I still think it's possible we get the loan. I think Tilton and the employees have made miraculous progress in a very short period of time. He has laid the foundation for solid leadership and direction that this airline has lacked for many years. I only wish we had him here when Creighton was given the reigns. I'm convined we wouldn't be discussing bankruptcy as an option if that were the case. But, we must deal with the hear and now. Will the ATSB cave in to UA's considerable political pressure? Will they acquiesce to the lobbying of AA and DL to reject our application? Who knows. I think our application is solid. But it ALWAYS worries me when non-airline industry people are in a position to make decisions that have severe ramifications for airlines.