Originally Posted by Excargodog

Screw it. Just go to Delta. From AAs first quarter earnings report:

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That’s another $1.6 billion to add to AAs already $40+ Billion dollar debt load. Right now AA short and long term credit is rated B- in the bond market. Typical junk bond credit - even backed up by assets, commands a premium of over 8% in the market today. What that means is that AA is going to have to generate positive cash flow to pay off that additional debt, but until they do their interest expense for debt service is going to be another $128 million (that is, 8% of $1.6 Billion) ANNUALLY than it would have otherwise been, and it was already approaching $2 billion last year. Basically, that’s going to be $2 Billion annually going out just to service INTEREST EXPENSE on the debt, before you put a dime into actually paying it off. And as time goes by, as you are unable to pay that debt off, you wind up refinancing it AT CURRENT RATES, which are a lot higher than those in effect when the original bonds were sold. AA is right now paying $2 Billion annual interest on about $43 Billion, an average rate of only about 4.5%. Refinancing that at 8% or more (the fed is raising interest rates) is going to be even more painful.

Jump to Delta.