Lighteningspeed

I think DAL buying JetBlue is highly unlikely. Lufthansa has invested a good deal of money on JetBlue for a good reason. Alaska is being eyed by DAL but RA is aware that Obama administration will be harder to persuade than Bush to approve any further purchase. Hawaiian is an unlikely candidate. I do not see any strategic advantage to buying Hawaiian.

I think for the next few years, emphasis will be on international JVs with KLM, Air France and trying to lure JAL away from AA to strengthen DAL position in Japan.

NuGuy

Heyas,

RA will string along Alaska as long as the competition permits it.

There are a couple of ways this could play out:

1) AMR wins the bid for JAL, but pays through the orifice for it. DAL now facing a new competitive regime in Asia, will need to secure the feed and buys ALK.

2) DAL wins the bid for JAL, but pays through the orifice for it. Now AMR, looking for payback, buys ALK (which DAL can no longer afford), and cripples the feed out of LAX and SEA, making the huge investment Asia worth much less.

The moral of this story is "never outsource your mission critical items"...

Nu

SoCalGuy

Starts????

Don't know where you've been, the courtship has been in full swing for quite sometime!!

Fishfreighter

I got a look at the Delta inflight magazine last week. They already have ALK's route map incorporated into theirs. Of course, ALK's route structure is in green and DAL's is in red, but it is amazing how well the two fit together.

tsquare

Great... just what we need to hear...

BOGSAT

I have heard from an FAA guy that some Delta connection carriers are going to merge (i.e. Compass and Mesaba)? I could see a merger with those two could be mainlines way to cancel the flow-through contracts.
Any thoughts...

djrogs03

Don't think it will happen...integration would be rediculously expensive and would take alot of negotiating, but when was the last time Delta did something that made sense...i.e. pay Republic(Shuttle America) to compete against them...you'de be surprised some of the stuff I hear these days from FAA people, one told me DALPA was in talks with management to order C-Series to open up scope on the 76 seaters...

forgot to bid

Somebody needs to tell those two the story about free milk and a cow.

Jack Bauer

Delta expects $1.5B loss this year | cincinnati.com | Cincinnati.Com

"Delta executives said they are planning on boosting the airline's cash reserves, leading some analysts to speculate about whether the company could be on the prowl for another acquisition."

acl65pilot

They have been on the prowl. They have found the prey and are waiting for the perfect head shot.

Ever wonder why we did not want more 73N's?