AMR creditors to meet as speculation about merger heats up
By TERRY MAXON
TERRY MAXON The Dallas Morning News
Staff Writer
tmaxon@dallasnews.com
Published: 16 April 2012 09:40 PM
The unsecured creditors committee in the American Airlines Inc. bankruptcy meets Tuesday, as speculation heats up about a possible offer from US Airways Group Inc. for a merger with American and parent AMR Corp.
It also comes as all sides prepare for an important court hearing that begins next Monday, in which Americans lawyers begin laying out the carriers case for throwing out its labor contracts.
US Airways executives have been talking to Americans three unions, which belong to the unsecured creditors committee, including a face-to-face meeting last Tuesday between the Allied Pilots Associations board of directors and US Airways chairman and chief executive Doug Parker and president Scott Kirby.
The merger chatter brought a series of unusual statements last week.
First, the airlines chief pilot told senior executives in a memo that Americans pilots have very serious concerns about a US Airways merger.
Then, Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas on Friday spoke out against a hostile takeover, without mentioning US Airways by name.
That led to an unusual joint statement late Friday night from the presidents of APA, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants and Transport Workers Union, in which they urged interested parties to keep an open mind about a possible deal.
After detailing the 14,000 jobs that Americans management wants to cut, the unions said they have worked tirelessly to mitigate or avoid that scenario entirely.
In closing, we respectfully request that all stakeholders of American Airlines including lawmakers and everyone else with a vested interest in the outcome of the restructuring withhold judgment about any industry consolidation that could involve our airline until all of the facts become known, the unions said.
In response, the airline Monday thanked its supporters. We are in the midst of a complex restructuring that will position us to determine our future and choose the very best path for all of Americans stakeholders.
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