Originally Posted by Flyby1206

If Skywest bought up all the wholly owned DCI carriers then DAL wouldnt be able to manipulate any regional feed the way they can with the wholly owned carriers currently. I think it would be smart to buy up the competition in Skywest's case, so that they can raise their own rates (especially since Republic is getting away from the regional feed game).

Originally Posted by JustAnotherPLT

I'm not prophesying anything. I'm merely identifying a progressive trend that has developed since the close of 2008. When the source is coming from SH, it clearly is not by divine inspiration.

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.

Originally Posted by Airsupport

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. Right after the bankruptcy NWA set up NEWCO and kept one plane flying around on that certificate. They built compass from that. I have no doubt that they are trying to sell their wholly owned regionals. Which ones and to who is anyones guess.

Originally Posted by Lighteningspeed

You've been singing that tune for what almost two years now? Well XJ is still owned by DAL and so is CZ and Comair. NWA set up using the Independence Air certificate. It's fun to speculate but no one seems to have any hard facts to substantiate this rumor and this rumor has been floating around for over 2 years now.

Originally Posted by Airsupport

Well you just cant buy and sell airlines on a whim. ASA was owned by Delta at one time. Pinnacle was owned by NWA at one time. Mesaba was even owned and sold before. Independence Air was owned by someone else and sold. Even the mighty NWA was bought by Delta. Unless you are the one out there doing the buying and selling then chances are you will switch hands at one point. Some one out there has to want it and Delta has to make the deal sweet enough. The truth is the wholly owneds are taken a beating right now (except for compass). Delta said they wanted to cut capacity and they are mainly using their wholly owneds to do it. Do I think contract carriers are at risk? Absolutely. Just look at Freedom. But it took law suits and court battles to do to them what a phone call could do the the wholly owneds. Those are the facts.

Originally Posted by jayray2

I don't know how anyone on here can claim to know what Delta does and does not want to do. I'm pretty sure Delta does not even know.

Originally Posted by Panama Jones

There have been lots of rumors flying around. Some are pretty hard to believe. I have heard of Skywest, Inc. buying a Delta wholly owned (insert Compass, Comair and/or Mesaba) and merging it with ASA or Delta liquidating said wholly-owned and selling the parts to Skywest, Inc., which flying would then come to ASA. There's always the rumor of picking up the pieces when Mesa dies (assuming it ever does). There's also the rumor of picking up some USAirways flying, not to mention expanding our United flying.

Realistically, since ASA is acquiring four new -700s from Horizon it makes sense that the company may acquire more of them in the next year and a half. That's hardly a stretch. Also, BH alluded to possibly getting more United flying by the end of the year. That's hardly committal, and I have no idea where that flying would come from.

I did talk to someone from the training department (always a good source of rumors, and sometimes they even turn out to be true) the other day who had asked why ASA is hiring five more line check pilots and he was told "for future growth." He was of the opinion that the company has plenty of line check pilots now to train the returning furloughs, so he speculates that this is an indication of more to come.

I guess we'll see. Rumors are at least fun for entertainment purposes. My favorite was that ASA would fly its 6 extra -200s (now spoken for) for AirTran out of Orlando but be painted in SkyWest colors, so it would be Atlantic Southeast Airlines dba SkyWest Airlines for AirTran. And yes, I made that one up myself.

Originally Posted by afterburn81

It appears as if industry is going to see something similar to regulation from the government. Someday there will only be a few legacy carriers, low cost air carriers, and a few regional/contract airlines when the dust settles from this economic transformation.