Originally Posted by
TFAYD
UA owns the airframes. I assume that it will be more cost effective to have XJT operate those. SKYW will retain some EAS stuff in DEN and out west. Maybe some pro-rate things but everything East of the Mississippi is likely gonna be XJT.
This is the most probable outcome, but keep an eye on SkyWest. They look like an airline, but is actually an aircraft leasing company/ground handler/bank. In 2009 SKW lent UAL $80M and helped avert a cash crunch, while taking on more pro-rate flying for UAL (risk and profit sharing). This is one reason the entire Express operation in DEN was, for many years, entirely run by SKW, right down to the rampers, gate agents, etc. UAL could wash their hands of it and SKW ran it pretty well. (The Simplicity takeover is for another thread...)
If UAL gets in another cash crunch, look for SKW to swoop in and offer to do more pro-rate flying, and even lend money to UAL. I don't know what they do out in Utah that seems to work so well.
And no I don't/did not work for SKW.