Looks like United wins another one; « Independence Air is about to scuttle its independence »:
‘Independence Air, which has struggled since its launch six months ago as an independent low-fare carrier, has been asked by bankrupt United Airlines to return as a feeder carrier, a company spokesman said on Thursday. Rick DeLisi, a spokesman for Independence Air’s Dulles-based corporate parent, Flyi Inc., said the company received an unsolicited request from UAL Corp.’s United to bid on the regional feeder routes. He said that the company has discussed the issue with United, but declined to confirm that the company actually submitted a bid. “We have always said that we would be open to listening to any idea,” DeLisi said. Flyi executives had previously stated they would consider a return to flying as a regional carrier. … Flyi, formerly known as Atlantic Coast Airlines, embarked on the Independence Air experiment after United Airlines filed for bankruptcy and sought to sharply curtail the profit margins of its regional carriers. Though some analysts questioned the wisdom of trying to run a low-fare airline with regional jets, which generally have higher unit costs, Flyi executives said the potential rewards of establishing a successful independent carrier outweighed the risks.’
Basically what we have here, then, is that badly mismanaged and fiscally irresponsible United, operating under the guise of bankruptcy, has royally screwed over its unions and its regional carrier ‘partners,’ yet again.
Lesson: If you’re too stupid to run your airline properly even during tough times, just run screaming to a judge and you’ll get what you want anyway.
I’m sorry, but United needs to join Pan American, Braniff, Eastern, etc., in the graveyard of once-proud, once-great, but now ridiculously awful airlines. If you’re a United employee, I’m sorry for that sentiment, but … well … take it up with the idiots at the home office in Elk Grove.
