Saw the entire thing posted in The Buzz - noted another post commenting that being an editorial, it was opinion as opposed to business or market "fact".

I disagree that CO falls into some nether region of the industry (and certainly don't care for the term "ditch"). Look at it this way - if United were a software company, they'd be Microsoft. Look at all the good competition there.

The industry seems quite content with the current "10 Largest US Airlines," merger mania notwithstanding. The only ones I truly have concerns for are the smaller regional and/or charter specialists such as JetBlue, ATA, and Tower (where'd THEY go?). I think CO's got the right people, equipment, and business model to be a dominant player - as long as one of the aforementioned "Big Three" don't decide to crush or swallow them instead of trying to actually compete.

IMHO, what CO needs for the next level is a western hub - west of the Rockies or on the coast. UA's just too big, unwieldy, and generally brutish for my tastes. I remember before the first bankruptcy, they were EVERYWHERE - but that was also before the H&S method prevalent today. Hmm, with only HP and WN now, PHX could sure use another major player...

[This message has been edited by PHX_Phlyer (edited 07-03-2001).]