Ok, so I am supposed to believe that the DOJ would allow an HP-US-UA merger? One which would create a system with the following hubs/focus cities:
West: LAX/SFO/PHX/LAS/DEN
Central: ORD
East: PHL/CLT/BOS/LGA/DCA/IAD
If I am counting right, that's 12 hubs/focus cities. DOJ will never allow... And, what happened to having PHL and PIT hubs too close...
If UAL were to liquidate, I think an ORD hub would be a "stunning" addition to HP-US, no doubt about it. But I don't think that UAL will liquidate. And if it did, I think that HP-US would have to bid an incredible amount of cash to win the ORD assets (I think CO and DL would be bidding on ORD as well).
Furthermore, it other combinations seems much, much more plausible... Like a DL-CO merger, where CLE is dropped as a hub (in favor of keeping CVG), and DL's transatlantic ops get combined into CO's EWR hub. An AA-AS or NW-AS or DL-AS merger all seem plausible. A CO-NW merger also seems plausibe, again ending CLE's hub (this time in favor DTW) and ending MEM as a hub (in favor ot IAH). Even UA-CO seems a better match.
Just my opinion.
West: LAX/SFO/PHX/LAS/DEN
Central: ORD
East: PHL/CLT/BOS/LGA/DCA/IAD
If I am counting right, that's 12 hubs/focus cities. DOJ will never allow... And, what happened to having PHL and PIT hubs too close...
If UAL were to liquidate, I think an ORD hub would be a "stunning" addition to HP-US, no doubt about it. But I don't think that UAL will liquidate. And if it did, I think that HP-US would have to bid an incredible amount of cash to win the ORD assets (I think CO and DL would be bidding on ORD as well).
Furthermore, it other combinations seems much, much more plausible... Like a DL-CO merger, where CLE is dropped as a hub (in favor of keeping CVG), and DL's transatlantic ops get combined into CO's EWR hub. An AA-AS or NW-AS or DL-AS merger all seem plausible. A CO-NW merger also seems plausibe, again ending CLE's hub (this time in favor DTW) and ending MEM as a hub (in favor ot IAH). Even UA-CO seems a better match.
Just my opinion.