airline merger

The American Airways, err US Airlines, Merger

Valentines Day will bring together a new relationship, the union between American Airlines and US Airways.   What a merged American Airlines and US Airways will look like will remain to be seen, and both airlines have a checkered history in buyouts and mergers. When American Airlines took over TWA hostility ran deep, the tension…

A US Airways & American Airlines Tie Up … revisited

Following the mergers of Northwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines followed by Continental Airlines and United Airlines talk of further airline consolidation was rampant. Discussions of ‘the next’ merger was frequently fueled by US Airways’ CEO Doug Parker, with the logical tie up being a US Airways and American Airlines merger.   Now, as American…

Air India – The Economics Of A State Backed Airline

Operating an airline is expensive and complex and it seems many airlines seem to be in existence only because their government keeps them afloat. In 1932 Air India was created, as Tata Airlines, a mail carrier.  In 1953 Tata Airlines was nationalized and renamed Air India, an international airline, while Indian Airlines was created as…

Delta Air Lines & Virgin Atlantic Merger? It Can’t Happen

Today various news organizations have reported that Delta Air Lines is considering merging with Virgin Atlantic … however these news stories, ranging from Bloomberg News to Fox News, are leaving out a vital piece of information … the two airlines cannot legally merger. The global airline industry is heavily regulated; among these strict regulations are…

The New United Is #1 : Up & Down Game Of On-Time Performance

Airlines will constantly juggle who is #1 in any given category. Nearly every month and every quarter airlines adjust statistics to promote their top ranked aspects … so … … the official on time performance numbers for August have been released by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the top on-time airlines in the United…

Tomorrow Continental Airlines Ceases To Exist On Paper

Tomorrow, the 1st of October, the last of Big Five Legacy Airlines in the United States drops to ‘The Big Four,’ as the transaction finalizing the merger between Continental Airlines and United Airlines is closed. As I have written about in the past, the merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines finally brings together two…

Southwest Airlines Swallows Up AirTran … Goodbye AirTran!

This morning as I rolled over and read an incoming e-mail from Southwest Airlines, at 7:12am EST, I was pretty sure what I was reading was practical joke.  Southwest Airlines is known for its sense of humor … but this e-mail was one I really needed to read after consuming vast quantities of caffeine found…

How Will United Becoming The World’s Largest Airline Impact You?

A few days after the two-year anniversary of the Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines merger being approved, United Airlines and Continental Airlines will sign the closure papers on their merger on the 1st of October. Once United and Continental finalize their merger details and sign the closure papers they will eclipse Delta Air Lines…

Reader Mail : Should American Airlines & US Airways Merge Next?

This week’s reader mail comes from Jaime, from Elk Grove, IL. Following the announcement this week that United Airlines and Continental Airlines will merge, Jamie asks “The United States will now be home to the two largest airlines in the world once United and Continental merge, should American Airlines and US Airways merge next?” Well…