US/DL Slot Swap Question

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

Is this deal dead or are DL and US going to proceed with the deal despite the catch attached by the DOJ/DOT? DL is still shifting a lot of domestic JFK routes over to LGA according to OAG.

[cancidas]

no.

[emshighway]

Still appears to be on. Delta sent an appeal to the DOT recommendation.

[hiss srq]

In it's current form this deal is like highway robbery as far as competition at LGA goes. Delta will have the slot power at LaGuardia to go against anyone but AA pretty much and drive them out of LGA if they selected to do so. They can just flood any market they want with capacity till the other carrier bows.

[DHG750R]

Not to mention it appears the draw of US getting route authority into NRT doesnt have much, if any value, now that Japan and the U.S. agreed to open skies.

[Art at ISP]

I think there will be a compromise reached between the original deal and what DOT wants. That said I think it will proceed at some point in one form or another.

Time will tell, but I do agree about the rights to NRT. Even with them, US doesn't have an aircraft which could properly handle routes to NRT, and they aren't about to go on an acquisition spree, they are one step above life support (with all due respect to our friends here who work there). The pilots union is flying this airline right into the ground, and without a breakthrough there and a change in leadership US is not likely to survive.

[hiss srq]

Art, I hate to snub the passengers and our fellow group members who still make their bread in other capacities within US but the fact of the matter is USAirways is the weakest link of all the majors. Their management is completely inept and the pilots are being screwed. It is not just the pilot group that wants to see this company become nothing more than a Airliners.net thread. The IAM work groups have some very nasty plans for USAirways come contract time.

To re touch on the pilot issue. Above and beyond the whole seinority staple issue take a look at USAirways current contract pay wise for pilots. For First Officer's it is to within a dollar a block hour identical to every single regional in the USA. Than take a look at DAL or AA's structure. THEY DESERVE MORE. Burn it to the ground. US East is a proud hard working bunch from the cockpit to the cleaning cart and Doug Parker, Scott Kirby, Robert Isom and Suzanne Boda are incompetent. They are trying to run a major airline like a regional LCC. This might have worked when your entire east coast network consisted of 3 757's and 4 airbuses a day from LAS and PHX combined but now it is a whole new ball game. Get them out or burn it down is the consensus I get from many I used to proudly call co workers.

[JetBlueAirwaysFan]

Why are they so worried about competition? As of right now the 125 slots that are up for grabs at LGA all belong to US anyway, so it is still restricting competition.