Maybe it’s like our NEA grievance arbitration… they have 30 days to make a ruling and 10 months later they’re still getting around to it.

 

I think that makes a lot of sense too.

 

From the DOJ's perspective, would probably change the language of the lawsuit. Whether JetBlue has the NEA or not, so I bet you're right.

 

I think it is the other way around: they had an agreement that DOJ would not file suit until the 28th of February at the earliest.

 

28th was the deadline but Robin said it's a flexible deadline. There is obviously a lot of backroom DC negotiating and lobbying going on.

 

Kill the NEA, approve the merger. Let's move on.

 

I do think ultimately the NEA will live on, but in a reduced capacity. Fare/schedule cooperation and revenue sharing will likely disappear, and it will turn into a more basic codeshare similar to AS/AA with some gate/slot leasing arrangements. We’ll probably join oneworld at some point too.

 

Nonsense. When the DOJ has been allowing far bigger mergers for years, and continues to allow joint ventures even with airlines in other nations, they have no justification to even become involved in this.

if Congress wants to PROSPECTIVELY write actual LAWS regulating control of percentages of gates and slots and alliances, both foreign and domestic, that EVERYONE will have to live by, so be it. But if the DOJ is going to be offended by the size of the fifth largest airline then they better be damn well ready to compel the four larger ones to split up just like they once compelled Bell telephone to break up and also then to stop the Big Three from code-sharing with all their regionals and their Joint Venture, Skyteam, and Star Alliance partners. What’s sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander

While it would perhaps be hopelessly optimistic to expect rationality from a government agency, at a minimum one ought to expect consistency.

 

I don't disagree with this, I'm just saying what I want to happen. They kill the NEA, our entire SCOPE we negotiated in CBA1 is restored with no NEA carve out. Selfishly I want this because the pairings have been diminished since the NEA. I was a BOS-SAN and BOS-LAX 2 day kinda guy. Once the NEA came into play, a lot of the transcon flying went away and I can't hold those trips anymore. That's just one example of what I'm sure many others can chime in with how their QOL has gone down due to the reduced flying with certain city pairs.

 

I used to bid the exact same way. The day trips went away and more senior bidders take the 2 leg 2 day trips. F’ers