Originally Posted by
Wtravel
Not quite. If one does the math based on what has been communicated so far, it seems AB would be left with an own fleet of 40 A320 family aircraft and only 17 long-haul A330s (plus the Q400s), so they would still have to operate a substantial number of European (feeder?) flights as AB. It is also questionable if that kind of network and scale can be operated in a sustainable stand-alone manner. Realistically they would need to be embedded in something bigger European, and that is where LH comes in again. For LH it is probably just a question of structuring a possible deal in a way that they can limit their exposure.
That's what I'm aware of as well - the plan was and probably still is to lease all non-DUS and non-TXL routes to LH/EW and focus only on hub flying. Those long haul flights have to be filled somehow. It's not worth having an airline for a few destinations in the US. With all the Norwegian, WOW and other competition, I doubt that the market is that lucrative on its own. But time will tell what ends up happening with that LH deal.