First, I am sorry to see this has happened to my friends at UAL. You folks really have tried to turn things around, and for the feds to say "screw you" instead of offering a helping hand is just wrong, IMO. Hopefully there is still a way out of this mess, but I have to admit things are looking grim.
Second, I don't seriously believe any of you thought that UAL was going to get the loan. UAL was mostly depending on the perception that the feds would gain by watching what happened at UAIR, and we all know how that has been going. Add to this bleeding the fact that not enough cuts or changes were made at UAL, plus the looming presence of LCCs in their backyard, and it was no surprise what the decision was going to be. Any fool worth his salt knew this was coming.
So now what? What to do? Asset sales may net some cash, but in this market only the assets with actual value will sell, i.e. the LHR slots, the 777's, DCA/LGA slots, etc. Anything else is stuff that is easily producable by any other airline out there, and therefore has little value and won't sell. Short of any sales of assets, maybe Star Alliance can help somehow? Then again, I hear that Uncle C is still out there looking to dip his toe in the waters again....avoid that if you can. The truth is, I bet no one has any clue what to do now, and the clock is ticking for sure.
So, what to do? Someone come with an idea, any idea...