Reports say US Airways, American Airlines boards set to vote for merger
Tempe-based US Airways and bankrupt American Airlines appear ready to merge. Bloomberg News reports the companies’ boards are expected approve the merger Wednesday, after lengthy negotiations.
“I think a lot of employees and a lot of people who are suffering from merger battle fatigue think, ‘Oh my God, it’s done!’" said Holly Hegeman, founder of the airline industry magazine PlaneBusiness. "But it’s far from done, and in fact I think the next period will be even more difficult in some respects, because you’re going to have two groups of people who – let’s face it – have fought tooth and nail for the last year.”
Hegeman says US Airways CEO Doug Parker is set to lead the new airline, which will become the world’s largest as measured by traffic. And she says American CEO Tom Horton is rumored not to have a long-term role ahead of him.
The new airline will
likely be based in
