Originally Posted by
encore
Why not just buy Frontier? You get 60 A320 series and increase market share/eliminate a competitor in one of your hubs.
IMHO, three reasons for UA not to buy FR:
1) It's not exactly a common fleet (FR has different motors than UA)
2) One can lease 60 used Airbuses for the same market rate that FR is paying but without the expense or complications associated with buying an entire airline. Why buy the cow when there's plenty of milk on sale?
3) Potential anti-trust issues with dominant DEN market share