Pilot21 From Ireland, joined Oct 1999, 1370 posts, RR: 2 Posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16521 times:
Just coming across the wires now
BA is said to be in discussion with QF about a potential merger between the two airlines. While BA is saying there is no guarantee any deal will occur, they are in discussions and BA has also stated they are still in discussion with IB (i.e. no change in their relationships).
Like the IB deal, any potential BA/QF tie up would involve a dual listed company strucuture.
Veeseeten From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2008, 169 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16497 times:
Really interesting to see that BA's focus is still on global consolidation, through this and their franchise agreements, rather than inter-European tie ups. Personally, I think this outlook will pay off in the long term - there's no real need for BA to be a 400 pound gorilla within Europe anyway, far better they become a high-quality niche carrier, than buying up the scraps left over by LH and AF/KL.*
*I am not referring to IB as the 'scraps' here btw, but I do think that a full-blown BA/IB merger is looking less and less likely, and that ATI between AA, et al will turn up in its place, perhaps with more significant levels of investment between BA and IB.
Of course, this could also be yet more smoke-blowing from BA. We have heard this all before with KLM, now seemingly IB. I can't help but suspect that BA blew its bolt/lost its appetite for mergers long ago, after the whole BCAL and Dan-Air buying spree.
Jfk777 From United States of America, joined Aug 2006, 5969 posts, RR: 1 Reply 2, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16389 times:
BA needs to merge with something in Europe, IB for many reasons makes the most sense. IB covers a part of the world BA has little presence in, South America. A merger with Qantas sounds wonderful but other then the Kangaroo route there isn't much overlapping overhead to cut. One area of conflict I can see is the 787, QF has 120 GE powered 787's on order and BA has Rolls powered 787's on order.
BAStew From Australia, joined Sep 2006, 896 posts, RR: 3 Reply 3, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16257 times:
Here is an excerpt from the BA release to staff:
Willie Walsh has today announced talks with Qantas.
Willie said: "We have announced today that we are talking to Qantas about a potential merger via a dual listed company structure.
"There is no guarantee that any merger will happen and we will update you further when it is appropriate to do so.
"Our merger discussions with Iberia continue."
Information:
A dual listed company structure means that each airline will continue to exist as a separate legal entity, have separate shareholders and be listed on the London and Australian stock markets as appropriate.
However, they will have a combined balance sheet and operate as one company.
It is likely that there will be an overlapping board of directors but an integrated management team.
Hiflyer From United States of America, joined Nov 2004, 2000 posts, RR: 5 Reply 5, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16181 times:
Just on sheer size the survivor will be BA....and the engines will be RR. A big 'hmmmm' will be the Australian gov......and the second big 'hmmmm' will be Sir Richard as this potential deal attacks him on both sides of the globe. Would this be the straw that broke the Virgin back and send them into Star? Certainly not OneWorld where BA IB and QF live....and SkyTeam does not look that good right now with DL swallowing NW and the loss of CO and AZ floundering but his Virgin network would compliment the ones left.....only about 8 main carriers left in Skyteam now .......Star is running about 20 at last count so feed for Virgin group would be great but not sure Sir Richard would want to be one of a star pack.
Singapore_Air From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2000, 13652 posts, RR: 26 Reply 6, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16160 times:
Quoting BCAL (Reply 4): How long before SRB gets out of bed, starts bawling like a kid and orders VS aircraft to be painted "No Way BA/QF" ?
GayStudPilot From United States of America, joined Dec 2007, 381 posts, RR: 3 Reply 7, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 14 hours ago) and read 16022 times:
Singapore_Air From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2000, 13652 posts, RR: 26 Reply 8, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 15995 times:
TN486 From Australia, joined Jul 2008, 726 posts, RR: 2 Reply 10, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 15891 times:
Quoting Hiflyer (Reply 5): Just on sheer size the survivor will be BA....and the engines will be RR. A big 'hmmmm' will be the Australian gov
To quote an ex Aussie politician "please explain" what do you mean by this "survivor will be BA"? In relation to the Aussie Govt, I suggest you read the current Aust Aviation Thread to update on the goverments aviation "green paper" (or is it "white"), there could be some interesting facts come out re this in the next day or so.(in relation to the govts stance re ownership etc).
remember the t shirt "I own an airline"on the front - "qantas" on the back
VV701 From United Kingdom, joined Aug 2005, 5569 posts, RR: 23 Reply 12, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 15705 times:
With the BA-IB and the BA-QF talks together with the AA-BA-IB developing relationship, the differences in the development philosophy of oneworld and, for example, Star seems to me to be becoming clearer.
oneworld seems to me to be focusing on becoming an increasingly close alliance of selected airlines with a somewhat similar business philosophy.
Star seems to me to be growing into a significantly looser alliance of a multitude of cooperating airlines with the objective of good global coverage in both long and short haul.
So this raises two questions:
What is the future structure of the global airline industry going to look like particularly with regard to the future legal environment in terms of traffic rights and new open skies agreements?
And as this environment develops (or stagnates?) will the oneworld or the Star approach prove to be the more successful. As far as I am concerned nothing is yet clear except that the differences between the alliances appear to be becoming more obvious.
Jetfuel From Australia, joined Jan 2005, 1966 posts, RR: 0 Reply 13, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 13 hours ago) and read 15703 times:
I can say now that this is a very likely scenario. There's no culture clash like other possible partners. The world is too small for nationalised carriers to survive
Where's the passion gone out of the airline industry? The smell of jetfuel and the romance of taking a flight....
CHRISBA777ER From UK - England, joined Mar 2001, 5810 posts, RR: 69 Reply 14, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 12 hours ago) and read 15321 times:
I heard about this a little while ago and I'm all for it. Discussed it with a few friends at work and we think:
The companies will retain their identity and branding like AF/KL.
Jetstar will be given LGW slots to go into the short haul LoCo market in Europe.
The Kangaroo routes will switch to all QF metal once the merger is completed.
The differences in fleet and powerplant make no difference whatsoever.
What do you mean you dont have any bourbon? Do you know how far it is to Houston? What kind of airline is this???
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 71 Reply 16, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 15021 times:
Quoting InbarD (Reply 16): Maybe BA would be kind enough to give QF a few 777's... drool
Mysterzip From United States of America, joined Jul 2008, 153 posts, RR: 0 Reply 17, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 11 hours ago) and read 14729 times:
I don't quite understand a merger between BA/IB/QF (just like LH/BD/etc) - they'll operate as separate entities, with separate management. So ... where are the savings? Are joint catering, freight services, etc enough for two companies to merge? Or do mergers offer higher payoffs for shareholders and the executives?
AA1818 From Trinidad and Tobago, joined Feb 2006, 3298 posts, RR: 6 Reply 18, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 14478 times:
Quoting Mysterzip (Reply 19): I don't quite understand a merger between BA/IB/QF (just like LH/BD/etc) - they'll operate as separate entities, with separate management. So ... where are the savings? Are joint catering, freight services, etc enough for two companies to merge? Or do mergers offer higher payoffs for shareholders and the executives?
Other benefits might include:
Securing a long term global partner. Join fleet orders, standardized maintenance for certain fleet types. And as you mentioned freight, catering. But centralized decision making, and an ability to adjust to the market more easily eg shifting capacity during the season etc. Advertising and marketing synergies. It would be great to see a massive tie up of AA/ IB/ BA/ QF and LA. The global reach would be AWESOME!! Of course somewhere along the lines ownership laws would have to be relaxed, but even closer co-operation would be more than welcomed.
Mal787 From Australia, joined Jul 2007, 593 posts, RR: 0 Reply 19, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 14358 times:
Quoting BCAL (Reply 4): How long before SRB gets out of bed, starts bawling like a kid and orders VS aircraft to be painted "No Way BA/QF" ?
You took the words out of my mouth, I am sure he will have something to complain about, the fact is he is in a position to join an alliance and help Virgin Atlantic grow , but no he still wants to be the lone knight in shinning armour.
As for the QF/ BA merger if it goes ahead I think we will see the end of BA down under with their own metal and all BA flights will be code share on QF.They only have 2 flighs a day London via Singapore & Bangkok and I'm sure they could use the 747 & 777 elsewhere
DL767captain From United States of America, joined Mar 2007, 2539 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 10 hours ago) and read 14104 times:
I just saw this on CNN. Now this seems fairly strange to me. I could understand an ATI agreement but would QF really merge with BA? I guess it couldn't hurt since QF will be getting more competition on LAX-SYD alone. What do you think the possibilities are?
767nutter From United Kingdom, joined Sep 2008, 161 posts, RR: 0 Reply 22, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 13257 times:
Quoting TN486 (Reply 12): Quoting AirbusA6 (Reply 9):
A bit of an about turn though, as didn't BA have a large stake in QF (10-15%) which they sold 2 or 3 years ago?
It was 25%, and was sold as BA at the time needed the cash
Actually it was 18.25%. BA sold this off to raise money to pay off debt in 2004.
Plus the current Australian Law says :
''Under current Australian law, Qantas must be at least 51% Australian-owned.
Any individual foreign airline can only own up to 25% of it and only a total of 35% may be owned by foreign airlines.''
However, Transport Minister Anthony Albanese proposed earlier on Tuesday that the rules be changed so that while 51% must still be Australian-owned, the remaining 49% may be owned by a single foreign airline meaning if this happens BA will still only be able to own 49%.
It its most recently announced results, BA reported a 91.6% drop in six-month profits, blaming "incredibly difficult trading conditions" for the plunge.
Its pre-tax profit totalled £52m between April and September, down from £616m a year earlier. However Qantas fared better in its results for the year to the end of June.
Its pre-tax profit rose 36% to 1.408bn Australian dollars, but the airline warned at the time that the business was starting to see the effects of a slowing economy and rising fuel prices.
Last week, Qantas announced a fresh set of capacity cuts as the global financial crisis continued to hit demand for airline seats.
Singapore_Air From United Kingdom, joined Nov 2000, 13652 posts, RR: 26 Reply 23, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 8 hours ago) and read 12968 times:
UPDATE:Virgin Atlantic: BA-Qantas Merger Would Lock-Up Routes
Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Steve Ridgway said: "One day it's Iberia, then it's American, and now Qantas...the only strategy BA seems to have is to lock-up some of the busiest routes in the world, against the consumer interest. During a downturn, there is no excuse for competition laws to be suspended."
Ridgway also said: "Regulators need to scrutinize these merger attempts like never before and ensure that consumers aren't disadvantaged by BA's attempts to become even more dominant, to the detriment of true competition."
Jacobin777 From United States of America, joined Sep 2004, 14968 posts, RR: 71 Reply 24, posted (3 years 2 months 1 week 4 days 7 hours ago) and read 13217 times:
Quoting Singapore_Air (Reply 25):
Virgin Atlantic Chief Executive Steve Ridgway said: "One day it's Iberia, then it's American, and now Qantas...the only strategy BA seems to have is to lock-up some of the busiest routes in the world, against the consumer interest. During a downturn, there is no excuse for competition laws to be suspended."
Oddly enough, with all of the other carriers flying the Kangaroo Route (such as EK, SQ, EY and soon QR, etc), I fail to see how BA along with QF will "lock up" some of the busiest routes in the world...
"Up the Irons!"
25 ANstar: Actually QF currently has a higher Marker Cap than BA. Also QF hase the largest firm 787 order whioch stands at 65 confirmed and 50 options (115). So
26 Ozair: I would say that aside from EK, BA and QF fly the majority of F and J traffic between the two points? Would be interesting to see what access this wo
27 Olympic472: Whoever the partner, this is an unavoidable step in the evolution of the aviation business. At least this merger makes sense. On the kangaroo route, m
28 Sydscott: Things are changing down here. If the right structure was put to the Australian Government it would certainly be entertained. The ACCC also has no ba
29 TN486: Could this include an absolutely massive expansion for JQ? A sucessful ready made LCC to work for whatever consortium comes out of these talks? I don
30 Tayser: ^ I pointed out a few weeks ago that BA already fly to DXB 3x daily and two of the flights are within an hour of each other and they arrive/depart at
31 Bongodog1964: This is the reason VS operate A340-600's, they need all that fuselage length in order to paint "No Way BA/AA/IB/QF"
32 Veeseeten: Sydscott - great post. The insight on Jetstar is really interesting and honestly something I hadn't considered. I have been wondering for some time wh
33 MWHCVT: This is almost exactly what I was thinking when I heard this one the radio while I was out this afternoon, with the exception that I had not truly co
34 Gemuser: Actually it was 25%! I think it was sold off in two lots, one of which was 18%. Yer reckon? What about SQ & CX, and MH & TG. They all have significan
35 Sydscott: Which is essentially what OW already is barring the ownership. Each airline swapping the maximum amount of equity in each other as possible and then
36 MWHCVT: Exactly, but currently the governments of the world are it appears at least to me to be truly afraid of allowing commercial aviation the freedom that
37 CityofAthens: Is this an indirect admission that BA and IB are having serious difficulties settling their differences ? It seems BA have an awful lot on their plate
38 Jambrain: As QF are a long standing RR shop even if GE got their 787s it's not so clear cut. QF operates Rolls-Royce powered Boeing 747s, 767s, 717s... A380, i
39 Lufthansa: I wouldn't be so quick to Assume JQ will work just as well in europe as it has in Australia/Asia. Maybe the A330 long haul model may work well and st
40 Sydscott: Unless they buy Easyjet. Looking at BA's long haul schedule from LGW, the only route that it would be essential to offer full service on would be JFK
41 Antskip: QF and BA merging-without-merging is a bit like a case of marrying your sister. Not quite a case of extending the gene pool. The big losers will be em
42 VV701: I think that in the days of a possible BA/KL merger this is exactly what BA management thought. So they walked away from KL and then watched - and le
43 Lufthansa: Now that could get interesting! I think sticking 330s at LGW in JQ colours is a great idea to give them a presence in markets that won't support thei
44 Allrite: Other posters have mentioned the lack of cultural conflict between QF and BA. This is not strictly true. The time for a QF/BA merger is right now. If
45 TN486: My understanding of the QF/JQ ops model is as follows: 1. Domestic - JQ takeover those routes where QF couldnt make an acceptable profit- mainly tour
46 Ben175: Regarding the Kangaroo Route, could we see BA return to MEL, PER and BNE if the merger goes through? BA/QF could even split it up, so it would go some
47 Richardw: BA could have done that at LGW when they owned Go Fly, but chose not to. BA could have bought GT at LGW and rebranded as GB Airways but chose not to.
48 767nutter: My mistake Gemuser, i was putting what i read from the BBC website, they said it was 18.25%. Must have been a misprint.
49 Willd: Exactly my thoughts. If BA wanted to turn LGW routes into a loco BA subsidary they would have done it years ago. They had the option with Go Fly and
50 ElmoTheHobo: The stake was 25% initially, Qantas issued shares on two occasions which diluted British Airways' stake. They sold their stake all at once. They stil
51 BCAL: I assume you mean Go which was STN based in any event. Although BA put up the initial capital, Go was always run as a completely separate company wit
52 Richardw: Go's full name was Go-Fly. Go-Fly was initially a wholly owned subsidiary of BA and could have been enlarged by adding some LGW shorthaul aircraft IIR
53 BCAL: Suitable slots were unavailable at LGW at that time and why would BA want their loco competing against their mainline at the same airport? U2 only ma
54 Bongodog1964: Why does this have anything to do with BA/IB? Though many of these destinations are "leisure orientated" they attract a good number of passengers who
55 Thai744: If they merge, I don't think that as a passenger you would see too much difference from the products they offer now. It will be the employees / shareh
56 Veeseeten: Some really interesting thoughts here - but I think that any talk of BA buying Easyjet is a bit far fetched. EZ are trying to follow the Virgin exampl
57 SB: U2 already operates a huge network from LGW, and there's a healthy collection of charters and low cost carriers from other countries as well. The whol
59 HikesWithEyes: I didn't read through all the previous posts, but in a recent issue of ATW, QF CEO Geoff Dixon basically stated that QF would be involved in a merger
60 ClassicLover: They have to, by law... QF will be the driver on this one. BA might be the bigger airline, but BA are going to either break even or make a loss this
61 Humberside: Wierdly Ive just been reading Barbara Cassani's book on Go tonight and they used FLS Aerospace
62 Bongodog1964: Whilst the latest years profits might seem like the correct basis on which to agree the terms of a merger; in reality they are but a small part of th
63 Industrybuff: Hello Everyone Ive been watching this thread with interest the last 24 hours, kinda like watching a flower grow, allthrough from some of the staff at
64 Bongodog1964: Do we remember all those posts up to a few weeks ago, in which we were constantly told that BA had missed the boat in the great airline mergers and aq
65 Kiwiandrew: it sounds as though IB are far from happy about this , particularly since they were apparently only told about it an hour before BA went public in spi
66 Kiwiandrew: for some reason 'edit post' doesnt seem to be working ( guess it was due to the 'upgrade' earlier today ) ... additional signs of IB's displeasure htt
67 Sydscott: And it's a great way to further take market share on the long haul leisure routes while the Charter Carriers are struggling. Obviously any launch of
68 Kiwiandrew: my impression has been that IB has been willing to get on with it but that BA have been holding it up , mainly by refusing to clarify exactly how bad
69 Veeseeten: Something does indeed smell fishy here re: Iberia. I suppose we'll see soon enough though! Personally, I'd much prefer a merger with QF than IB, it ju
70 Allrite: That doesn't make much sense to me, at least over the next 5 years (probably longer, but who knows in this world). Forget behind the scenes action by
71 Eljonno: Can't say I've flown QF internationally, but I have flown both carriers domestically and have flown BA internationally many times - I know which one
72 Sydscott: So again, it could be a power play to force Iberia into signing off on the merger now without them clarifying this? Frankly I think they're much for
73 Eljonno: ...So for one flight basically. Let's go with the purely theoretical idea of the merged BA/QF buying easyJet shall we? Let's imagine that all those l
74 Lufthansa: That was the exact point i was trying to make! Club europe out of LGW is important in some of those markets...and if it can support club europe then
75 Jacobin777: I'm not so sure that I understand your question.. There is SQ, amongst other carriers which offer F as well.
76 TN486: Yes they do, QF fly the route stated ,1 flight a day to keep the corporates happy From where I sit, 8 return QF services and return a day on this rou
77 United Airline: Will it be BA buying QF or QF buying BA? I suppose its BA buying QF right?
78 Allrite: I think it's basically supposed to be a merger of equals. See The Australian's Aviation Section for some of the discussion about the financial viabil
79 Allrite: According to this article in The Australian: I remember that there was a rumour that Qantas had done a deal with SQ at the meeting in New York.
80 Bjwonline: I think you will see no BA metal in Australia. All BA passengers would transfer to QF in Asia and possibly even for QF passengers heading to Europe.
81 ANstar: With the current JSA agreement thye are effectively the one company on AUS-UK services anyway. All costs/revenue are pooled and shared.
82 Beaucaire: Iberia's Conte is asking - either Iberia or us -but both mergers won't be viable ... http://business.smh.com.au/business/...hoose-in-merger-20081204-6
83 Beaucaire: "..... Erst eine Stunde vor Verkündung der Fusionsüberlegungen sei er von BA-Chef Willie Walsh darüber informiert worden, sagte Iberia-Chef Fernand
84 Eljonno: Would it be possible for BA to operate LHR-SIN and then for the flight to continue on to SYD with QF crew or, vice-versa using BA metal: so SYD-SIN w
85 Allrite: By flying the same aircraft the entire distance surely you minimise connection times/problems. May also be faster/simpler for cargo. Unlike the Asian
86 Bongodog1964: Surely it would be better to have the crews change in Singapore or wherever and have the plane continue on. BA crews from the UK to midpoint, and Aus
87 Gemuser: That's more or less what QF do now, on at least some if not all flights. Oz based crew east of the stop over and LHR based crews west of the stop ove
88 Nickofatlanta: Makes sense - so you could have a plane fly routes like: SYD-SIN-LHR (early morning arrival) - USA - LHR before heading back to Australia or SYD-LAX-
89 Allrite: Sounds reasonable, now is there any reason why these couldn't be QF branded flights between LHR and the US (with joint or British crews perhaps)? BA
90 VV701: Stelios is no longer in control of U2. Indeed he is in current dispute with the board of U2 over the payment of a dividend. He wants one, but the boa
91 Sevenforty: It all makes financial sense for BA and QF to pass on their passengers at SIN and BKK etc but will the passengers like it. They're both good airlines
92 VV701: I believe that this can only happen across international borders when neither of the merging airlines operate any services under international bilate
93 BCAL: Like to know the source of your information that BA is more than 40 per cent owned by non-British (mainly American) interests. Most of this 40 per ce
94 Sevenforty: It's all very complicated isn't it ! Overall it's a great move by BA/QF and I guess it's not all about the kangaroo route. I suppose BA and QF are at
95 Theginge: VS have gone quiet again after they moaned about it when it was announced. Maybe they have seen sense and realised it wouldn't decimate competition as
96 Beaucaire: I find it strange that nobody here mentions the reaction of Iberia who are furious at BA management,since they were left without knowledge about the Q
97 Bongodog1964: Why would the planes sit there as at present ? If they are one airline, they would be able to utilise the fleet to the maximum advantage, by using th
98 Sydscott: And you could do the same thing at SYD and turn around the arriving BA 744 to LAX or SFO and send it back to LHR that way. Then all they would need t
99 Theginge: A merger though would probably be good for IB as well as would bring more feed their way.
100 Ota1: Yes, a merger would be good for IB, but BA isn't IB's only option... I'm pretty sure both LH and AF are closely watching the recent developments...
101 VV701: My source is the British Airways Annual Report. Although the figure was not published in the 2007-08 report it had been published in each report for
103 Sevenforty: I think WW is frustrated with the IB board because they keep renegotiating on the terms i.e the split etc Regardless of current share price and market
104 Ota1: You bet they are.... but AF/KL are waiting for sure as well
105 Sevenforty: Mmm well I hope LH know what they're doing, buying up everything in sight. I'm sure they do. Notice now that IB CEO has done a u-turn on his opinion
106 Sparklehorse12: If they could introduce a third partner into the equasion like MH rather than Iberia it would help alot. BA/QF are perfect for each other.....both ha
107 Sevenforty: Blimey if there's one thing I wouldn't say about BA it's that they're bland ! For both good and bad reasons. I'm not sure they survive due to protect
108 Vhqpa: It would be Ideal for BA/QF to make an investment if not that then a stategic alliance similar to the current JSA in a Middle Eastern Carrier. if they
109 Babybus: I don't know why they bothered telling us about a merger. For the travelling public there aren't going to be any visible differences. Transferring off
110 Will: G'day All, As per what I said in a relivent post.. Merger Hey….. HMMMM… Let’s put this all into simple terms. Let us say you and I go to the Pub
111 Theginge: I think VS will just sit back and do nothing instead of actively investigating oppourtunities themselves and complain when BA does something to put i
112 Sevenforty: Well they might not have a choice. Alot is changing and there is sense in merging. Many airlines (big ones) are slowly drifting up sh*t creek and to
113 Bongodog1964: They had to make an official announcement, as these talks would be considered to have a potential impact on the share price of both sides. If they ca
114 VV701: At 41 per cent BA do not have a high percentage of slots out of LHR compared to any other major overseas international airline at its home hub. The n
115 DiscoverCSG: And to do so with only the two runways... is a discussion for another thread.
116 Sevenforty: Sorry, that was my intended point. I should of said 'higher'. I blame Heathrow, it's why BA always get dragged through the mud. As LHR has got busier
117 CityofAthens: Nice to see the ability to spell Qantas is improving.
118 Econojetter: For this reason, I think BA should prioritize the proposed IB merger. Consolidation in Europe is happening. LH is picking up airlines left and right
119 Ota1: Yes, I agree, BA should go for IB first. However it seems like BA's priority is a merger with QF: timesonline.co.uk I think this is a bad move for BA
120 Kiwiandrew: now that is an interesting point which I have to admit I had not thought of up until now - there is no way that QF could leave oneworld for Star , th
121 Lufthansa: MAS may be that reason. If QF was to merge with somebody in Southeast asia...and that somebody was MAS... AF probably would want to talk to that party
122 Singapore_Air: I post that if those three airlines (and by default, their employees) had any sense of foresight, they'd put aside their different management culture
123 Lufthansa: You're right. If they could just put aside their egos, this one could work. And it could produce much better outcomes then AFKLM etc. For a start, It
124 Beaucaire: Great Britain remains mainly an Atlantic-Commenwealth directed country (see their participation in the ECHELON intelligence program ) Yes-on paper th
125 Econojetter: I'll admit I threw that one in there without having considered it thoroughly. It seemed to me that QF was seeking to become part of a larger group wi
126 Singapore_Air: In the week since news leaked out that Qantas is in merger talks with British Airways, Joyce has had plenty of time to explain why this merger is not
127 SpeedBirdA380: Yes I read that article too. The journalist seems to have a real distrust of BA and feels BA is a much inferior airline. He thinks BA are trying to ma
128 Tayser: More detail in today's Age: http://business.theage.com.au/busine...ng-merger-talks-20081207-6tac.html
129 Allrite: The merger is off! See this article amongst many others for more commentary.[Edited 2008-12-18 15:03:37]
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