“A bankruptcy filing will be a given if they don't get a concession from other unions. It's going to be one-on-one talks with each. It's a good sign these unions aren't supporting the mechanics, but it's by no means certain [the airline will] get what it needs.”
“Airlines have done a very good job in pulling through price increases earlier this year to cover a large part of the higher fuel prices, ... Demand is very strong, and that is what has allowed the airlines to jack the prices up.”
“They're going to lose some of these customers. If they can solve their problems by September, the problem will be limited. If it goes past September, they'll have trouble winning back the higher yielding customers.”
“There are no surprises. Basically what we're hearing from the airlines is that volume is not falling off. Business is getting weak as travelers are trying to get around higher pricing with discounts. There was some weakening in February into March, but it's not as bad as it sounds.”
“They can get so much more productivity without a third party acting as an intermediary. The unions will probably get the right to hold a vote, but I think there's a good chance Delta will keep the unions out. Last time there was a vote by mechanics, to my surprise it was overwhelmingly voted down.”
“Any amount of savings at this point is desperately needed by the airlines. With the tremendous pressures on airlines, this is one of few areas where they can actually reduce costs. With online purchasing of tickets, more and more channels are becoming available for consumers. If travel agents go out of business, it'll make the system more efficient. It's a hard statement to make, but it's true.”
