World Traveler wrote: "The point of my post is that UA's relations with all of its stakeholders - employees, aircraft owners, and municipalities - have all been contentious"
Indeed. I do not mean to be pedantic here but why would a firm not be just that - particulary when it finds itself in such a situation that seems repeatedly to be cast as dire? In observing the news articles that are in print concerning United and perusing this forum, the general sentiment seems to be one that is framed in what is generally described as the future perfect tense. An example would be in a prognostication such as "When the 1st of June 2005 arrives, United will have been out of business already for a month." This is a tensual handmaiden to the straight future tense of "United is going to go out of business."
So, nearly all have accepted the fact that one should be allowed only to speak of your airline in the past tense - that its fate is sealed and only the match clock must tick off the remaining seconds.
However, let us imagine that there are those within the body corporate who either as a personel development project, a challenge, or even pride wish to prolong the ongoing entity of the firm for as long as possible. Knowing that nearly every non-eleemosynary corporate body is by nature amoral (not immoral or unmoral for those who do not know this word), then it will, and should, take every action accorded it in the legal structure to attempt to further the continuence of the operation (unless the board decides otherwise) - to do otherwise would be contrary to the spirit and in many cases written charter of the company.
In other words, they better well bloody be contentious. They very well may be convinced that there is a chance to save the firm and they will do everything to do so. If the negotiations are contentious and they liquidate anyway, then no love has been lost for all is, so to speak, lost. If however, they survive, then they have at least accomplished the survival and then are faced with the less Herculean task of just repairing frayed and tested business relationships.
I must admit to being philosophically intrigued by your supposition World. You level critique for United's corporate behavour in this process. Yet implicit in your critique is an unspkoken supposition that this will harm United. Well, it would harm United only if United were to survive - something that you (from my humble reading ablility) seemed to assume as unlikely.
An interesting paradox is it not?
Cheers 😀
BTW, I do not agree with the supposition that United is only waiting for the clock to tick. Since the better mousetrap has indeed not been invented, it still has a chance to compete if it adroitly navigates the seas.
Also, not pertaining to WT but rather other postings, I am rather bemused by the clamour to change your bankruptcy laws. Not having been able to drive United from the field in competition, the idea now is that the laws must change to let the others survive. Ah, every one loves capitalism except when they have to compete! European laws do not (for the most part) provision for Chp 11. I would think one would be careful for what they wish as this is indeed a very cold plate to face.