Originally Posted by
Clear Right
They get nothing from the deal other than the access to the New York market.
That's everything in the deal. All the rest is a minor logistical annoyance compared to the biggest domestic airline in the galaxy being locked out of the biggest and most important domestic market.
And airlines or investor groups don't have to pay in full to "buy" another airline. The cash JB has is cash the new entity would also have. That doesn't go away nor does it have to be paid for. All that has to happen is a stock deal that pleases enough shareholders sitting on a volitile yet flat 4 and a half dollar stock just enough of a premium to get the board to sign off on it. There are numerous other ways it could happen as well, both in a hostile takeover or an amicable deal (to management).
And I've never heard of customer service awards being able to stop a merger/buyout/takeover/fragmentation. Ever. Kudos for having a great product (and JB really does) but NYC is locked out to outsiders now. All anyone new can get is a token presence. AA doesn't have what they need in JFK and SWA could really use a big NYC presence. LCC just divested a massive amount of NYC flying. There are many factors at work here and no matter how you connect the dots, JB is in play one way or another. How exactly it shakes out is anyone's guess, but the odds of something happening are far greater than the odds of nothing happening with the smallest "big 6" airline and its dominant, slot and facility controlled NYC crown jewel.