"HERE WE GO"

[FWAAA]

Don't tell me, tell NPR. I'm just telling you what they reported. Though, I would not be surprised if DL went to the Feds first just to make sure there were no anti-trust concerns in advance. The airlines have to be careful about talking to each other about anything. Past history on possible ticket-price fixing, don't you know.

Well, if someone at NPR said that, then they mangled the story off the wires yesterday:

Delta wants merger talks with UAL, Northwest: report

Thursday January 10, 4:03 pm ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc (NYSEAL - News) plans on Friday to ask its board for permission to begin formal merger talks with both Northwest Airlines Corp (NYSE:NWA - News) and United Airlines parent UAL Corp (NasdaqGS:UAUA - News), the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal said on its Web site that Delta would aim to ultimately choose between the two carriers.

http://biz.yahoo.com/rb/080110/delta_ual_northwest.html?.v=5

Delta board to be asked Friday to OK merger talks: WSJ

By Wallace Witkowski
Last update: 1:29 p.m. EST Jan. 10, 2008

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- The board of Delta Air Lines Inc. will be asked Friday to begin formal talks with Northwest Airlines Corp. and UAL Corp. with the aim of consummating a merger with one of the companies, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Thursday, citing people familiar with the matter. Shares of Delta and UAL jumped on the report with Delta up nearly 14% to $15.35 and UAL surging 20% to $31.22 in afternoon trading.

http://www.marketwatch.com/News/Story/Stor...o&dist=yhoo

Nobody's gone to the feds for permission to discuss possible combinations. Someone just filled in some gaps in a news story with something that sounded like it belonged.

 

[eolesen]

Bears, you've read between the lines correctly.

I see NW/DL as a no-brainer. From an IT standpoint, it's also a no-brainer. They're both using Worldspan, so there's little business risk (unlike anyone merging with UAL). Likewise, you could see a US/CO merger with little business risk since they both use Shares.

Not that IT would be a driver in a merger, but there are other synergies as well between NW/DL that I think work pretty well. Far moreso than AMR/DL or AMR/NW do...

The only carriers I think AA could even entertain a deal with would be F9, JBLU or AS.

JBLU doesn't do much from a network standpoint, and F9 is too damn small to make a difference.

ALK could finally provide that elusive west coast operation that AA has tried twice to create thru mergers...

 

[back2CLT]

That's an offer I'm sure even Doug could refuse after failing a breatholyzer test...

Honestly, I see the investment in JBLU and admitting US into Star Alliance as a smart insurance policy on LH's part. Aside from ORD, there are few places domestically where UA is and US ain't.

Ding ding ding!

 

[Wretched Wrench]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


What I'd give, to have "uncle" Bobby CRANDALL back,

I'll see your Crandall, and raise you a CR Smith.

BOY,...those were the days my friend (Too bad they had to End) :down:

I could say that about the CR days, too, were it not for Pasciuto. Actually, despite old Charlie, they were pretty good times. I worked harder, but felt better about it.

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

I'll see your Crandall, and raise you a CR Smith.




I could say that about the CR days, too, were it not for Pasciuto. Actually, despite old Charlie, they were pretty good times. I worked harder, but felt better about it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"YOU DA MAN" ~~~ Wrench

Everything you said was "on da Money"






eolesen,

I hope(and pray) your right about AK..."E".

Just my personal choice, but there's ONLY 3 carriers in the whole world, that I wish AA would "hook up' with.

1.A
+
1.B ...............................BA + NW

3. ...............................AK

 

[Wretched Wrench]

ALK could finally provide that elusive west coast operation that AA has tried twice to create thru mergers...

What makes you think AA wouldn't botch it again? This is like Jimmy Breslin's "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight".

 

[MCI transplant]

<_< ------- Call it being gun shy! But if our stock keeps going down into the toilet, I wouldn't rule out Uncle Carl Icahn getting back into the mix! Or someone like him! Remember, he still has a score to settle for AA spoiling his ticket deal with TWA!

 

[The Goose]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Jesus,......Jim,

What I'd give, to have "uncle" Bobby CRANDALL back, ..on the phone,..trying to "cook up a deal"(even though his A$$ almost wound up in the slammer).

BOY,...those were the days my friend (Too bad they had to End) :down:

Bears, I've said that many times to many people.

Crandall was a ring-tailed SOB - and had I ever needed a ring-tailed SOB, he was the one I wanted on my side.