Originally Posted by
FlyingKat
I'm talking about the time before Parker arrived around 2001.
But to the larger point, you don't get very far in business by giving away your most lucrative markets to the competition. Anybody who thinks Parker is going to walk away from these slots without a tough fight is smoking crack. These slots are very valuable and I would be surprised if Parker is willing to give more than a small amount to keep DOJ happy. If the DOJ wants a large amount, Parker may just decide to see them in court.
I know what you were talking about and I was there. US Airways was a much bigger operation in 2001 than it is now. PIT was still a major hub, we operated many point to point routes, and Metrojet. DCA was important, but not near 50% of revenue.
You are correct that the slots are valuable, but many of them are operated by regional jets. Keeping the market tight is probably the biggest advantage to them. How profitable and how many the new AA can give up-only Parker and his team know. I think they can actually give enough for the merger to make sense.