Originally Posted by
sdsearch
Elsewhere (in some other FT thread) I've recently seen it estimated that it may be now several years before TAM is really integrated, and that it may take about that long for TAM to change alliances (assuming it's going to), and thus it could some time (measured in years) when LAN will be in OW yet co-owned TAM will be in *A.
So, yes, the good news is that LAN is staying in OW for quite some time to come. The bad news is that the final verdict may now be years off, and that may be too long to consider in terminal moves.
So while the terminal move does seem to say LAN will certaily stay in OW for the next few years, I don't know if it signals anything far past that. (Of course, AA itself could possibly change radically far before then!)
i can't really understand why there must always be lingering doubts when something happens that relates with OW. When the LAN-TAM agreement surfaced a lot of voices convincingly said that LAN would have switched to *, while it was always clear that LAN was in the driving seat and has deep commitments to the alliance. Also i remember the AA-JAL saga, where for months all we read was the drivel and spin the PR hired by Delta was publishing continuously, and that for DL was indeed a good replacement for the substantial lack of a compelling offer.
I will offer here my 2cents on the matter: the LAN-TAM combo will be cleared by all relevant authorities in few months, and immediately following will be TAM exit from * to OW, in a manner reminiscent of the fast switching of CO from ST to *. No wait, no hassles, no exit fees, all clear cut as it should be.