Especially Interested In East Coast Gates, Planes

It's not even a week old... but already, the proposed merger between US Airways and Delta Air Lines is attracting attention from an airline looking to capitalize on the leftovers.

Low-cost carrier Southwest Airlines is said to be especially interested in what pickings would remain if the two airlines consolidated operations.

Gates at airports along the East Coast are of particular interest to Southwest, which has expanded its presence in that market in recent years. US Airways and Delta also have 737s in their fleets -- the only type of aircraft Southwest operates.

Of course, this assumes the merger will go through -- an assumption Southwest believes has a "decent chance of actually happening," according to a statement by Southwest CEO Gary Kelly to The Wall Street Journal. Should the two carriers combine their operations, US Airways and Delta would need to sell off assets to address anti-trust concerns.

As Aero-News reported, on November 15 US Airways Group made its surprise offer for the bankrupt Delta, offering $8 billion in combined cash and stock to creditors -- many of whom are still waiting for their money, since Delta filed for bankruptcy in September 2005.

Delta management has protested the hostile takeover attempt... and for the moment, is downplaying any talk related to USAG's bid.

"We can certainly understand the interest in Delta's assets," Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton told Reuters. "However, there are no Delta assets for sale."

The final decision on the merger, however, will rest with Delta's creditors... and not management.

FMI: www.delta.com, www.usairways.com, www.southwest.com