Yes, this type of move could catapult United into the "top spot". And I truly hope Delta is paying attention to this move.

Here's what I hope Delta is thinking:

There's nothing they can do to block UA/AS from making this deal. A large presence at JFK/BOS will draw regulatory issues, and EWR has historically been considered a separate market, etc. You see where this is going.

Jetblue has a cult following among its loyalists. When someone comes along and destroys a brand that you love, the first thing you say is "I will never buy from this company again". Am I right?? Now we all know that's not totally true, but these type of people/customers go through a period of distaste for the company that killed their beloved (Jetblue) brand. Will some fold right into United? Yes. But many will go looking for something new. If Delta plays its cards right and takes advantage of that short window, it could gain serious favor with (former) Jetblue loyalists and gain some high value market share. How Delta does that? Who knows. My guess is aggressive loyalty offerings and nice, new planes (321NEO, 350, 220, etc). Let's be honest, Jetblue customers love LGA/JFK/BOS. Even though UA will gain some space at JFK, they will try to consolidate some flying into EWR. Jetblue customers largely do not fly out of EWR, and won't head over there just because UA says to.

Though I feel for the employees of Jetblue should an acquisition go through, we all know eliminating competition creates stability and growth for the ENTIRE industry. A rising tide lifts all boats. At the very least, Delta will benefit from increased airfare prices.

 

https://x.com/HuxSarah10772/status/1918333075861180480
I think she's onto something. WN has and is still struggling.

 

WN was struggling because they are flying MAX 8s on routes that should be flown on MAX 7s. Too much capacity = margin hit. They have done the things necessary to increase revenue on the commercial side now. We can't really determine if WN is truly struggling until they realize the MAX 7 into their every day ops. If they continue to struggle once that happens, then we know it's because people decided to buy away from WN now that they are a different product.

Not a chance Delta is allowed to merge with WN.

 

The problem is that JetBlue, Frontier, and Spirit, all are not very profitable or losing money on their own. They all need to mount up with somebody else and make some money. I think Spirit and Frontier are perfectly situated to be each other’s partners. That leaves JetBlue out in the cold,. I could see a JetBlue/Alaska merger, but Alaska is trying to merge with Hawaiian, I think another merger would screw things up, mergers are hard.

Luckily, I don’t really see any place or anyone for Delta emerge with. I do think we need to have a hub in Austin, Texas, it’s perfect geographic location, lots of good O/D traffic there.

I see United going for JetBlue, the only problem there is they have such an operation in Newark, I don’t think they could hold onto both JFK and Newark hubs. Operationally I just think it would be a mess.

 

what is Delta’s affinity for flying old, tired birds ready for the western graveyard .

 

make Boeing great again and that would help solve the issue

 

While buying brand new 321, 330, and 350s.

If Boeing would get their **** together.

 

Paid for, even losing some with mx costs anf higher fuel burn can have a lower CASM than our competitors with lease/mortgage payments on newer hulls, or leverage our overhaul abilities to operate simil, paid for hulls at lower cost.

Owning a refinery can take some of the cost out of using a say 752 thats paid for vs a 321Neo with a mortgage or lease. Or a used 737 vs a new max.

 

Split WN between AA and DL maybe?

 

Every air line has their reputation, Delta buys gently used airframes at value prices and United is the braggard saying how big it is. Meanwhile Delta outperforms all others. As a value investor I can appreciate the boring. Nice to see you out for a stroll and troll this evening.