Sat, Nov 18, 2006
Jittery CEO Presses Restructuring Plan Over Offer
A report in the Wall
Street Journal says Delta is seeking support from its creditors to
avoid US Airways Group's (USAG) $8 billion merger bid.
Delta executives reacted negatively to USAG's proposal which
includes $4 billion in cash and 78.5 million in stocks. Those same
executives are understandably nervous as USAG's offer is 40% above
the current average trading price for Delta's unsecured claims.
Delta's CEO has said the airline will emerge from bankruptcy as
a stand-alone company, but WSJ's report says he and other
executives held a series of conference calls with the airline's
creditors attempting to forestall a decision to sell.
USAG has made the pot a very sweet one to ignore. It claims the
merged airlines could save $1.65 billion annually mainly by
eliminating duplicated effort in those markets where the pair now
compete.
Meanwhile, USAG seeks a meeting with those same creditors via
Delta's official creditors committee -- that meeting could come as
early as next week.
The announced offer has set off a flurry of media activity and
speculation on how the markets and customers might react. Reuters
believes a merger might lead to more labor problems. Indeed, USAG
is dealing with a possible strike of its pilots union -- they are
picketing at several locations in protest of USAG's reluctance to
negotiate wage increases.
Some outlets have speculated that the merger will hurt
competition and will likely trigger a challenge by the SEC. USAG's
response is the merged airlines would control only 18% of the
domestic market and will still face competition at most of its
hubs. Moreover, it says, all but 19% of its customers would have
access to low-cost carriers.
More News
Also: ALPA Warns, Aviation Meteorology Reference, Jennifer Homendy Re-Ups, CAF Tampa Bay The court has approved Van's Aircraft's bankruptcy reorganization plans, settling a stressf>[...]
Also: ALPA Warns, Aviation Meteorology Reference, Jennifer Homendy Re-Ups, CAF Tampa Bay The court has approved Van's Aircraft's bankruptcy reorganization plans, settling a stressf>[...]
Flameout Pattern An approach normally conducted by a single-engine military aircraft experiencing loss or anticipating loss of engine power or control. The standard overhead approa>[...]
Aero Linx: VC-25 - Air Force One The mission of the VC-25 aircraft — Air Force One — is to provide air transport for the president of the United States. The presidentia>[...]
We're Everywhere... Thanks To You! Even with the vast resources and incredibly far-reaching scope of the Aero-News Network, every now and then a story that should be reported on sl>[...]