Originally Posted by eaglefly

Yep.........definately 'Vegas' time for awhile......"step right up gents and try your luck". Of course, the young turks at the regionals would cast all concerns aside and jump at the brass (or in this case, red, white and blue) ring and go for broke.......in a heartbeat too and yes, those young and leading the first street wave here in over a decade very well may pole vault upwards in record time, although many of the old geezers need to bail or flop over first. The seniority list will go from 45-55 year olds abruptly to those in their late 20's to mid 30's.

Ahhh......if I were only a young punk with luck..........

But, I digress.

On the other hand, should AA need (or want) to wipe that debt out via BK, they'd be able to come out of it with the leanest balance sheet out there and competitive labor at all levels from flight crew to ground personnel. At that point, they'd be crazy not to expand like crazy and attempt to slingshot past the competition with their minimal debt and cheap costs and that would only feed the frenzy.

Of course, the common shareholders would be sold down the river and perhaps those with fat A-funds who didn't get that lump sum while they could (stayed at the table too long) might get bungholed, but those junior might (that's MIGHT) finally get their own slingshot advancement they've been waiting for. This carrier has been spinning its wheels in the mud (or turning in cricles with a broken rudder, for you nautical types) for over a decade while virtually every other carrier large and small has at least attempted to define their future. Time for AA to s%&t or get off the pot now and I think they know it.

How bad that dump smells and who has to use the can in the interim has yet to be determined, but the door to stall #1 has slammed shut and uncle AA has dropped trou and plopped onto the rim. Whistling has started and a newspaper is rustling, so if you're at AA or intend on joining, be ready to either plug your snout or bolt into the hall.