B6 had a lot to gain from winning the auction, way more than AS did. B6 lost the auction but made AS pay far more for VX than it was worth. Big winner was VX stock holders that got a nice unexpected return from that dumpster fire.

Whats happening now will mitigate some of the sour grapes B6 felt and also amplify the cost vs value paid by AS. B6 will gain the extra gates at LAX and SFO it was after in the VX bidding due to covid while at the same time AS is pulling back from those airports. So in the end AS paid way too much just to delay B6 expansion into SFO/LAX for 5 years.

B6 has also run AS off the vast majority of the transcon game before all this, just like it was in the process of running VX out before they went under. That battle is over, especially now that it looks like even more gates and growth can happen for B6 at sfo/lax.

AS fears of B6 competition in the west was a phantom when the real threat was WN in California which was totally un phased by AS getting VX. AS is back to square one being a big fish in SEA and PDX and no more tricks left up its sleeve to keep B6 out of LAX/SFO nor out compete them on transcons with their old fashion 737 1st class vs MINT.

As far as Hawaii, that fruit is being picked off of AS's vine by WN and I'd imagine sometime in the future by a MINT expansion there too.