Originally Posted by
Blindsquirel
probably pertinent to consider AS mgt relationship with Oneworld new CEO (came from AS and orchestrated AS entry)!
Point: very possible for AS, AA and B6 come to an agreement to join Oneworld sooner rather than later. This could back door the lost NEA agreement and bring B6 into the fold for future merge while AS digests HA. The high level executive connections exist… purely conjecture but opportunity knocks.
All speculative, of course, but I’m now leaning toward the idea that we’re becoming a case study of sorts for oneworld. The addition of these new routes feeding into Boston, plus Madrid, aligns with the strategy majors use to build out their networks. Either management got a wake-up call, realizing they need more than just metro city areas to support transatlantic operations, or this is a way to measure against what Iberia is doing out of Boston. Iberia recently launched the XLR on that route, which could help American shift assets, expand out of Boston, and compete more effectively with Delta.