FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - The US/DL LGA slot swap [Master Thread]
View Single Post
Old Feb 11, 2010, 9:34 am
  #74  
iahphx
FlyerTalk Evangelist
 
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,378
Originally Posted by able
I was an America West pilot at the time and I happen to agree with Clue.

Had the government not loaned money to the weak sisters they would have vacated the field leaving only the stronger carriers. If my employer was destined to fail sooner was better than later. I would much rather had there been strong carriers with which to apply in 2002 rather than the field of walking wounded that populate the spectrum today.
If you were STILL working for US, you'd probably feel differently.

Look, it would have been insane -- and horrible public policy -- to force a major American airline to liquidate solely because of the 9/11 attack. I mean, honestly, isn't that just evil? The Air Transportation Stabilization Board was a good idea. They were pretty tough (maybe too tough) in doling out gov't money -- which is probably why they made A PROFIT (a large one) for taxpayers.

Indeed, the ATSB allowed SMART airline managers to come in and save troubled airlines. Let's see now, who went Chap. 11 after 9/11? Why, it was most of the BIG airlines like DL, UA and NW (I presume your "stronger" ones?), while a supposedly weak carrier (like HP) avoided bankruptcy and made money for their shareholders, creditors and the gov't!! And then they took their smarts and saved US, which nobody thought had a snowball's chance in hell to survive. And you call that a MISTAKE? I mean, seriously, where are you coming from?

The people who want to attack this airline should understand a bit of its history. It's truly a story of survival against all odds. And the final chapters have not yet been written.
iahphx is offline