Originally Posted by
Lighteningspeed
This precisely why it is unlikely DAL will sell its WO to SkyWest. Selling it to SkyWest would go against what RA has stated in his recent past interviews. He already said he wants to keep a tighter control over the quality and keep most of the DCI flying inhouse. Plus, DAL does not want SkyWest to get any bigger than it already is. If DAL sells its WO it will most likely be to a third party investment corporation or to its subsidiary holding corporation it already owns. DAL would just transfer the ownership to the holding corporation. Before the merger, NWA had already set one up known as the Mesaba Compass Holding Corporation and DAL inherited it after the merger.
Don't kid yourself. Delta doesn't want to own any regionals. They do want to in the future change the way regionals are paid and make them more liable for their operations. They don't want to keep flying "in house" and that has been proven by the way things have been going. Delta/NWA has or has wanted to sell every regional they have ever owned. I have no doubt that they are trying to sell their wholly owned regionals. Which ones and to who is anyones guess. Yes I am sure they want fewer carriers flying for them. But moving flying in house is not what they want. In house flying is their way of getting rid of airframes they don't want anymore.