More airline mergers to come?
The President of the Air Line Pilots Association, ALPA, believes it is likely we will see more airline mergers over the next few years. Captain John Prater also hopes that over half of the 38 airlines with ALPA representatives would, with the support of the Unions, back any mergers that would result in job saving oppurtunities. This possibility does not just relate to the legacy carriers as Prater believes it likely we will see some low cost carrier link ups as well.
The announcement follows this weeks news that both United and US Airways would be prepared to undertake consolidation with another airline in order to strengthen their future. Prater also believes that a tie up between Continental and United Airlines is starting to make more sense due to their limited overlap in route networks.
Airline mergers are not just limited to the USA with the recent announcement of the Olympic and Aegean airways co-operation and the BA-Iberia merger looking increasingly likely to go ahead.
Prater hopes that ALPA can use its influence to agree deals that would see pilots recoup lost wages and benefits from the last decade, due to airline bankruptcies.
Source: Reuters
