Agree. I find it more likely a maneuver to drive some other outcome that UA wants (whether B6 or someone else). Maybe UA will surprise us and go after someone else that seems "less bad" like AS (especially now that AS has abandoned SFO), although that wont totally solve the JFK problem.

Also, it really makes one think about the long-term impacts of the DOJ stopping the AA/B6 alliance or the NK/F9 merger. US aviation would look very different (and healthier IMO) if both of those had happened.