Please explain why you think this because I think you are wrong.

If the airlines need to consolidate why don't they start with the regionals. Seems to be silly to have 4 regional operating for one company. Isn't that alot of extra management and it doesn't seem to have any synergy.

eric, i agree that there are too many regionals out there, however, this is just what mainline wants. This means more competition for RFP's and cheaper labor for them. I do also disagree with Lou. We don't need consolidation.

Yea, we should have one national airline like communist countries and other countries. Safety and customer service won't matter then. Prices go up too.

If CAL merges with anyone; I lose my job (2005 hire). CAL can do just fine without merging with anyone. I can upgrade next year, but if we merge I'll be looking for work, so obviously I'm for no merger. I have a lot to lose. I prefer to let dying airlines die and let other airlines pick the corpse for planes and gates. Mergers get ugly.

I think there are going to be a number of mergers soon. There are too many airlines which in turn offer too many seats to the same destinations. Too many seats mean that competition is high and prices will stay low. Airlines will turn larger profits with consolidation as they will be able to raise prices by reduced competition. Though this means bad news for workers, it means good news for shareholders. Shareholders (investors; owners) are what count, not workers. This is what capitalism is all about and why it is best to be an owner than a worker, no?

spoken like a true pig

Kellner's response was prudent for any CEO to say. If there are mergers in the industry, we will respond as necessary to protect our interests. Nothing newsworthy about that! It's like saying, If somebody throws a rock at me I will duck as necessary. Doesn't mean a rock is on the way.

My prediction: No Delta USAir merger. Alot of talk and feather fluffing but no merger. No big upcoming mergers as management teams will be wanting to get in on the upward industry trend without losing millions, perhaps billions with labor wars. Southwest will begin paying more for fuel which will force them to adjust their pricing upward, allowing legacies to do the same. Markets will become more healthy and will allow the big guys to go after the small fish and market share. I sincerely believe that Jet Blue, Frontier, Air Tran and other smaller carriers will be pushed to the limits and be bullied hard for market share. As the legacies get more $$ in their war chest, they will come out fighting hard. No disrespect toward anyone here, just my opinion.

I talked to some Delta guys at the hotel the other night. They said that there is no way it will happen. Take that for what it's worth. I know they don't want it to happen.

Yea I know why they do this. It was more of an example of how 2 faced management is.

I'm betting you wouldn't... If you were hired in 05 I'm betting you have about 500 below you and they still have to keep hiring.

Maybe, maybe not. When CAL grabbed PeoplExpress, the top 256(?) Capts. kept their seats. The rest got stapled. No one lost a job. Any merger would bring flying and jets. If history is any guide, there will be a lot of guys stapled underneath you, especially if CAL is the aquirer.

You're right about the ugly part. Some guys carry the animosity over perceived list merger slights forever. Some even post here.