As a famous lady of the evening once said, "they would say that, wouldn't they?". Mandy Rhys-Davies, I think.

AA will likely need Boeing or Airbus financing, no point in making enemies if them at this early date. While the deal is out there, until the planes are on the ramp, it's a rumor. The next question is, are they additions or replacements? If replacements, and all bets are that AA is smaller exiting Ch11, then it means little for hiring.

My personal bet is that AA forces some B-scale into the picture and creates a game changer with the new planes like they did in '83. At third place, AA needs to change perceptions of its product and value. Not dayin' I want a B-scale, but that is what AA wants. That and reorder their whole route system to look more like SWA.

GF