American Airlines, US Airways say they are evaluating potential merger - Polidicks

[url]http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/breaking/chi-american-us-airways-say-they-are-evaluating-potential-merger-20120831,0,4896517.story[/url] [quote=Chicago Tribune]U.S. airline behemoths United Airlines of Chicago and Delta Air Lines could be joined by a third mega-carrier, as merger talks between parent companies of American Airlines and US Airways heated up heading into the Labor Day weekend. AMR Corp., parent of American Airlines, and US Airways Group announced Friday they would exchange confidential information in an effort to combine. The non-disclosure agreement also means the companies won't be providing more information regarding the status of discussions until there's a deal or they call off talks, the airlines said. The airline companies said they would work in "close collaboration" and "good faith" to evaluate a merger, including working with the creditors committee of AMR, which is in bankruptcy protection. The companies note there's no guarantee that a merger will result. For a long time after AMR's bankruptcy last November, CEO Tom Horton insisted the company was not interested in a merger while it was restructuring, saying it was too complex to do both. Meanwhile, US Airways CEO Doug Parker aggressively and publicly campaigned for merger talks. "I think it would be tremendously unwise to get distracted with talk of combination inside a restructuring," Horton told the Tribune in March. However in July, Horton said the company had "greater clarity on our revenue outlook and cost structure" and would begin evaluating strategic options including mergers. In a letter Friday informing American Airlines managers about the non-disclosure agreement, the company said, "This will be an objective, thorough, fact-based process. Although we will proceed with these discussions in good faith, there can be no assurance that any transaction will take place." Parker and independent analysts have said an American-US Airways combination would allow the airlines to better compete with the largest U.S. carriers, Chicago-based United Continental Holdings, parent of United Airlines, and Delta Air Lines. Those airlines, now America's largest, in recent years have grown bigger by their own mergers. "You would have the international operations of AMR and the lower cost structure of US Airways," Morningstar analyst Basili Alukos said. A merger has the support of AMR labor unions. In April, AMR unions, including pilots, flight attendants and ground workers, said they struck independent deals with US Airways in anticipation and support of a merger. American's flight attendant union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, said in a statement that the non-disclosure agreement "is meant to protect trade secrets from leaking into the public venue during the process of discovery. The next few months will be an intensive exercise between the two management teams ... APFA's position remains consistent regarding a possible merger with US Airways: we support a strategic alternative that includes a management team with a proven record of effective leadership. Combining our networks will allow American Airlines to grow and compete with our industry's dominant global carriers." Shares of US Airways stock rose 4.5 percent in mid-morning trading on the New York Stock Exchange. [/quote]

I hope American keeps its name.. they're a part of my childhood. I always flew with them.

[QUOTE=hear me purr;37495087]I hope American keeps its name.. they're a part of my childhood. I always flew with them.[/QUOTE] american airways?

[QUOTE=Mon;37495115]american airways?[/QUOTE] as long as their logo stays the same.

Delta makes a lot of empty promises "We'll leave a hub in Mpls/St. Paul" and then they try to remove it, and so on.

Everything fucking merges. Look at any big company in the world. Inevitably a giant merger in their history. Everything gets bigger.

Delta American US Airlineways

Please don't. US Airways is the US's worst airline, don't ruin AA with this. [editline]1st September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Elecbullet;37495239]Everything fucking merges. Look at any big company in the world. Inevitably a giant merger in their history. Everything gets bigger.[/QUOTE] Lockheed, Marietta, Martin Lockheed, Martin-Marietta Lockheed Martin Hmm [editline]1st September 2012[/editline] [QUOTE=Elecbullet;37495239]Everything fucking merges. Look at any big company in the world. Inevitably a giant merger in their history. Everything gets bigger.[/QUOTE]But not Apple.

US Airways is much better then American Airlines, as they have slightly roomier seats and better flight times. If they do merge, I hope this improves American Airlines and not the other way around.

I hate both. I fly with Delta and United. US Airways is a stain on the airline industry. American sucks, because of the very few times I've flown with them, they've lost my luggage.

[QUOTE=dbk21894;37497533]American sucks, because of the very few times I've flown with them, they've lost my luggage.[/QUOTE] Last time I flew with AA, the plane had hydraulic problems and they forgot my luggage in New York. I got it back a few days later though.

I always thought Southwest Airlines and Northwest Airlines should merge to form West Airlines.