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Unions voted down recapitalisation plan [Merged future of Alitalia thread]

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Unions voted down recapitalisation plan [Merged future of Alitalia thread]

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Old Jan 30, 2019, 7:34 am
  #676  
 
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Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK
Problem is, though, that any restructuring plan (which is of course vital) will meet strong resistance from the unions and has all the potential to end up like back in 2008 when good-old Jean-Cyril [Spinetta] simply had enough dealing with those clowns (slightly worse than their French counterparts) and left the negotiating table.
This is exactly why LH is/was insisting on a restructuring plan to be implemented before the takeover. Otherwise, they would have been the clowns on their own. However, regardless who takes over, a restructure seems to be inevitable. I cannot imagine that DL/AF/KL are willing to burn lots of money on AZ. Why should they? And as usual, the employees pay in the end for the incompetence of the management/politicians in the last years/decades. This would have been so avoidable ...

LH is quite strong in Italy for long distance connections and is owning with EN an own Italian subsidiary. If LH joins forces with a low cost carrier and pushes heavily into the Italian market, then there are rough times ahead for AZ without the needed reforms. AF/KL could also easily stretch into Italy. However, it is a lot easier if you take over the best known airline. But for what price?
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 8:05 am
  #677  
 
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Originally Posted by Scrooge McDuck
LH is quite strong in Italy for long distance connections and is owning with EN an own Italian subsidiary. If LH joins forces with a low cost carrier and pushes heavily into the Italian market, then there are rough times ahead for AZ without the needed reforms. AF/KL could also easily stretch into Italy. However, it is a lot easier if you take over the best known airline. But for what price?
That's it. Whilst Northern Italy has historically always been a particularly lucrative market for all the big players, I however fail to understand why/how the likes of Lufthansa or Delta would benefit even from [Dream On] a full take-over: leaving the jolly politics/unions' combo on one side for a moment, Lufthansa operates nearly 20 (!) daily services out of Milan alone plus an average of (roughly) 5 flights a day from virtually all regional airports above Florence (see Bologna, Venice etc.) to both Frankfurt & Munich, which is impressive to say the least and will surely bring a significant number of connecting passengers; plus, considering the predominantly leisure-prone market that is Alitalia's stronghold (Rome), again I can't see any logic in a potential take-over, apart from a few extra slots at Linate, which would be subject to competition's rules anyway.

G
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 8:33 am
  #678  
 
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Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK
I can't see any logic in a potential take-over, apart from a few extra slots at Linate
Some cheaper staff, especially pilots, for immediate consumption or pressure on German unions? It's anybody's guess though.
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 10:03 am
  #679  
 
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Originally Posted by malmostoso
(4) approval by the EU to convert half of the 900M€ loan into equity, thereby making the Italian government a shareholder.
Let's wait and see what the EU says. Don't forget there have been tough discussions regarding Italian deficit numbers and this move is clearly not helping to reduce the deficit as it was promised that the load will be paid back. I am not going to bet anything on the outcome of this topic.
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 7:32 pm
  #680  
 
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Seems like they have delayed their choice of a partner once again. If this keeps up I am afraid Delta will walk away, Lufthansa will not get the concessions it wants and also will walk away. Then the only outcome will be liquidation and not one wins.
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Old Jan 30, 2019, 11:37 pm
  #681  
 
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Originally Posted by firstmob
Then the only outcome will be liquidation and not one wins.
The current government would win. We promised we wouldn't have saved AZ at any cost, and those damn Germans have shafted us again. A couple of well placed Facebook posts and ready for the next distraction.
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Old Feb 1, 2019, 10:16 am
  #682  
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Originally Posted by AlicorporateUK
I however fail to understand why/how the likes of Lufthansa or Delta would benefit even from [Dream On] a full take-over: leaving the jolly politics/unions' combo on one side for a moment, Lufthansa operates nearly 20 (!) daily services out of Milan alone plus an average of (roughly) 5 flights a day from virtually all regional airports above Florence (see Bologna, Venice etc.) to both Frankfurt & Munich, which is impressive to say the least and will surely bring a significant number of connecting passengers; plus, considering the predominantly leisure-prone market that is Alitalia's stronghold (Rome), again I can't see any logic in a potential take-over, apart from a few extra slots at Linate, which would be subject to competition's rules anyway.
I would have thought that a take-over would make sense for LH from a strategic perspective. If they take-over AZ, then it is game over for anybody else (other than the LCCs) in Italy for the foreseeable future: there would be as much chance of AFKL building a presence there as there is of them building a strong presence in Switzerland or Austria. If they don't takeover AZ, then the possibility of AF/KL/DL capturing the market or making strong gains through acquiring/supplanting AZ and threatening in the long term the position of LH in Northern italy remains there. They tried to establish a stronghold and challenge AZ head on in the past with Lufthansa Italia but this was not a success and they retreated so acquiring AZ is theoretically the most obvious of consolidating their position on a more stable basis.
For anybody, however, the cost of dealing with the AZ industrial relations and political baggage creates a huge risk that exceeds the potential gains that one might hope from this so no-one will touch AZ with a bargepole without firm guarantees on that front. AFKL have had their fingers burnt on this one and, in any event, don't have the cash to indulge in those kinds of risks as they have other cats to whip, as the French would say.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 10:07 am
  #683  
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Reports:AF-KL pulling out of AZ process due to deteriorating Franco-Italian relations

Originally Posted by thelocal.it
Air France is pulling out of a deal that would save struggling Italian airline Alitalia for “political reasons”, Italian media reports.
The Ferrovie dello Statto (FS) rail group, which is handling the deal, had yesterday been expecting a formal commitment from the Air France-KLM board, which has been considering a part in the deal alongside Delta airlines.

But no commitment came from Paris, FS said.

Il Sole 24 Ore reported that there were political reasons behind Air France’s sudden U-turn on the planned deal, amid an escalating diplomatic row between France and Italy.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 3:37 pm
  #684  
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Previous report is denied by the Government...


Originally Posted by New Europe
Air France-KLM is considering a takeover of Italy’s national flag carrier Alitalia, the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Luigi Di Maio, said while adding that the French airline remains committed to the deal despite a recent diplomatic spat between Paris and Rome,

The offer for Alitalia is a joint bid with the Italian state-owned train conglomerate Ferrovie dello Stato (FS), Air France-KLM, and the US-based Delta Airlines.
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Old Feb 12, 2019, 3:39 pm
  #685  
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In fact, Bloomberg reports Corriere della Sera as reporting that Delta is now looking to rope Easyjet into the deal...

Originally Posted by Bloomberg
Delta Air Lines Inc. suggested a partnership with rival Alitalia bidder EasyJet Plc that would involve a less costly contract with the bankrupt airline’s staff, while retaining operational centers at Italy’s Fiumicino and Malpensa airports, Corriere della Sera reported.
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Old Feb 13, 2019, 9:03 am
  #686  
 
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What happened to the F S board meeting today?
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Old Feb 13, 2019, 9:26 am
  #687  
 
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Apparently still going on.
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Old Feb 13, 2019, 9:59 am
  #688  
 
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Any idea or rumors on which way it is going? Thx
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Old Feb 13, 2019, 10:12 am
  #689  
 
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Peeps, with the European elections coming up, the populists forming the Italian “government” will be wary of taking any decision involving restructuring as this will translate in redundancies and consequently unrest from the unions, strikes and you name it, clearly you don’t want that before an election. You all forget what happened back in 2008 when Air France had a decent plan (wanting to take over debts and only asking for ~2,000 redundancies, mostly ground personnel), they were eventually forced to abandon the negotiating table (with unions and Alitalia staff celebrating...). In a nutshell, nothing will come out of today’s board meeting.

G
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Old Feb 13, 2019, 1:06 pm
  #690  
 
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FS has chosen easyjet and Delta (italian, use incognito to circumvent paywall) to save AZ.

The Italian government also appears to put money in the operation (shocker).
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