Loading ...US Airways pilots have come out in opposition to a potential merger with United Airlines, after their union expressed strong disapproval of the potential fusion. The US Airline Pilots Association (USAPA) noted that the prospective merger was unwise, as United Airlines is rather weak financially at the moment. USAPA observed that since United has not performed well in the past, it would also not serve as the “best dance partner” for US Airways, which has performed much better. Stephen Bradford, USAPA’s president, referred specifically to United’s “mounting losses” and its “dismal balance sheet” when highlighting his concerns with the possible merger.
Yet US Airways pilots are hardly the only ones to have expressed their disapproval of the potential fusion. Although United pilots probably recognize that their company is at a financial disadvantage, they argued that their carrier is better known to offer quality customer service than US Airways. Steven Wallace, a United union leader, observed that the competitor’s arguably questionable service record and its past merger experiences-specifically with American West-created a “toxic stew” among pilots.
Yet the chiefs of both US Airways and United see the situation in a rather different light. They both believe that consolidation in the airline industry is the way of the future and that is presents a number of positive opportunities for the two carriers.
www.unitedairlines.co.uk
