Delta, Northwest could announce merger next week (fuel price pressures)

[phantom power]

Pressured by extraordinary jet fuel prices, Delta and Northwest airlines want to announce a merger deal as soon as next week, according to two sources briefed on the airlines' plans.

The companies, which were ready to announce a merger in February, have held off for two months in hopes the unions representing their pilots would agree quickly on how to merge their memberships. Merging the pilots into one union with one labor contract would allow the airlines to use each others' planes, airport gates and pilots most efficiently as soon as the merger closed.

Although the pilots have not come to agreement, the companies feel pressured to move forward now with a merger — with or without an agreement between the pilot groups — because of the crisis in jet fuel prices, the sources say.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/travel/2008-04-08-nwa-delta-talks_N.htm

[Parche]

1. Delta

Probably one of the dumbest mergers out there, their aircraft are not common, as Northwest
flies mostly Airbus A-320 A-330 aircraft, and Delta is all Boeing 777 767-200/300 757 MD-88/90
737-800
To merge, just to merge because of fuel prices is not very smart, you need to weigh in alot of factors, such as commonality of equipment, employees/benefits union rules etc

We will see what happens....

[marmar]

3. But by the same token, there isn't a whole lot of route overlap between the two of them....

..... Each of them is strong in areas where the other could use a boost (ie NW's presence in Asia and Delta's in Europe), and they're already both members of SkyTeam with common alliance partners.

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

2. Just great...

more layoffs around the corner :mad:

[gear_head]

4. welcome news

Delta gets NW's routes,
NW gets put out of its misery.

everybody wins!

[phantom power]

5. Funny, my wife and I had the inverse reaction. Put Delta out of our misery.