Quote:
Originally Posted by FXLAX
Wouldn’t it be more likely that the non-big 4 merge? Spirit/frontier, Hawaiin/jetBlue
What is really hurting the Big Three is the multi-type fleet and the International and business flyer dependent models right now due at least to some extent to the effect seniority and training requirements have on multi type fleets.
Sure, Spirit and Frontier merging would give economy of scale, but those two really aren’t in serious economic trouble or costing the US government much anyway. Hawaiian and Jet Blue? Until business travel turns around JetBlue is in trouble, until international turns around Hawaiian is in trouble. Yoking them together probably decreases the prospects for either of them.
Nope, I think what they are talking about are the three airlines that the government is spending the most money on. The LCC/ULCC business model was designed for hard times.