Well then that would pretty much make it an empty threat, would it not??? Who would he buy airplanes from??? Admittedly I dont know everything about this business, but Boeing and Airbus sell airplanes. They dont have the power to grant access to their respective countries via route authorities. The CEO of Qatar Airways was also quoted as saying he was point blank "not interested in the 777X" and then he ordered a bunch recently at the Dubai Air Show. He later admitted his previous comments were designed to throw off the media. Your current CEO many moons ago said he was not returning to the airline industry to orchestrate a merger between DL and NW. He also said all hubs would remain after the merger. Hmmmm... Fear not Carl, the sky isn't falling.