Originally Posted by LonesomeSky

That's an interesting idea. No matter who makes the move, if one party is interested in merging with AS then all parties become interested. A bidding war begins. Alaska fits nicely into a lot of airlines networks: UAL, AA, SWA, and B6. It could be anyone.

Or, it could be no one. The Russia/Ukraine mess could drive record high oil prices and/or Covid could create a truly deadly variant. Or, International travel doesn't come back and the big airlines bleed indefinitely. There are many unknowns.

In aviation, whenever it seems like the tide has turned and the pilots are in a winning position, the gods send down a crushing blow, a blow harder than all previous blows. The pilot shortage is like the lost city of gold. That's why we need to lock in a great contract this time around. Who knows what will happen.