Here are three key points in Reuters' article:
1. Some creditors want AMR management to explore other options that may lead to a better recovery of their claims, including a potential combination with another carrier.
2. While different creditors have different economic interests at stake, the sources said consensus is growing at the committee on the need to look at other alternatives.
3. Even labor unions, which traditionally do not like mergers because they come with job cuts, want to explore how a deal with a rival carrier would affect their members even though they may not necessarily favor it.
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Reports from BPR members indicate that in US Airways' last attempt to acquire United Airlines Doug Parker invited USAPA President Mike Cleary and Vice President Randy Mowrey to Tempe to meet in the "executive suite" with the company's officers. Parker presented Cleary and Mowrey with a new contract proposal of Delta + 1% in exchange for merger support, acceptance of the Nicolau Award as the SLI, and the CoC clause. Cleary and Mowrey took the offer and flew to CLT for the BPR's regularly scheduled quarterly meeting.
Before the BPR could act Jeff Smisek trumped US Airways' bid to merge with United and Continental merged with the Chicago-based carrier.
With the AFA TA in place, which I expect to be ratified, US Airways will eliminate another merger obstacle while the pilot's DJ lawsuit moves closer to conclusion (replies to the Summary Judgment are due to be filed in District Court on February 21, which is less than two weeks away).
In my opinion, if Parker elects to move forward he will buy labor support and go public with his labor offers. The deals will be industry leading contracts such as Delta + 1%. Parker has repeatedly told US Airways' employees this is the only way they can obtain industry leading contracts. Therefore, American Airlines' employees may have the option to accept management's term sheet, which could get worse if the unions do not agree to new contracts and the company keeps burning cash or limit their losses significantly by merging most likely with US Airways.
The SLI's would be covered by the MacCaskill-Bond amendment and for US Airways' pilots I suspect the Nicolau Award will be the list used in the next arbitration.