Lets just stick with facts instead of insults.

1. The reason you merge (notice I did not say takeover, this will be a merger of equals) is to create synergies that do not already exist. The belief is that their is over-capacity. Too many low fares out in the system to fill up all the seats, hence over-capacity. Draw down capacity and hope the LCC's do not backfill and raise prices; supply vs demand.

2. To accomplish above, right-size and rationalize fleet. 115 old DC 9's flying around does not make sense with regard to above. Besides, Compass and DCI can fill in the DC 9's if needed when the industry cycle changes.

3. ATL will be right-sized. No need for a fortress hub when MSP is very lucrative and provides the int'l reach DAL has been looking for pre-merger. LUV has stated publicly that they are interested in divestitures post consolidation. The anti-trust dept may require some divestitures for their approval of the deal.

4. DAL has not hired a CFO. Isn't the president E. Bastian pulling double duty? The new Flt. Ops. guy at DAL is former NWA. Has R. Anderson actually relocated to ATL? The point is, this has been in the making, these guys are going back to MSP to run the show. ATL will be the ops center, HQ will be in MSP (just a guess). US Airways had already determined ATL would go and the HQ would be in PHX. ATL is a great hub and will continue to be for the new carrier, but it does not have to be protected the way it is now. Hence, new carriers will find a home in ATL.

Maybe you could offer an educated point-of-view before dismissing statements the way you do. Or do you not have an opinion? Check out the fleet composition of the two airlines and you will see that in order to maximize the synergy of the deal, the fleet will have to be rationalized to a more common mix. Also, as posted here on the forum, R. Anderson specifically stated in his town hall appearance that DAL would not take orders for the 787. The reason, loading up the balance sheet and being the lead on a new ac. He stated he has been in that situation before and wants to stay clear of being a launch customer for an unproven ac. It would seem logical that the 787 slots would be sold and traded for 777LR ac that are slated for delivery (according to the Boeing web-site) for Feb '08 and beyond.

Just trying to connect the dots, nothing is hidden, all this info is available publicly and has been discussed publicly.