27 seconds ago 2009-11-10T03:49:47-08:00
US Airways wants Delta. Delta wants to stay single for now, and rejected Wednesday's "hostile" marriage proposal from US Airways immediately.
What does this mean to you, the frequent flier? Should US Airways get its way, the merger could change your life, depending on where you travel to and from.
On the plus side for US Airways travelers, a merger of the two legacy carriers would give frequent fliers access to Delta's international routes. But it wouldn't work out so well for Delta's SkyMiles people (a Wall Street Journal article from yesterday goes into more detail on how this would impact miles.)
But everybody pretty much agrees that a merger would stifle competition and boost fares, especially in the East and South regions.
"It would destroy competition in the deep South," Michael Boyd, an aviation industry consultant from the Boyd Group, was quoted as saying in the Journal article.
And Scott McCartney, writer of The Middle Seat, explains fare differences and how they might be impacted by a US Airways-Delta deal.
Of course, US Airways denies that the deal would hurt competition. It also says the new airline would still face low-cost rivals at most of its hubs and that all but 19 percent of travelers at airports it serves will have low-cost carrier choices.
US Air and Delta fliers, let me know what you think about your airline marrying the other?
Write to: Barbara Correa at bboydstoncorrea@yahoo.com
