AA and US Airlines To Merge

[Garry Russell]

As expected, subject to approval.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21454925

It was said about a week or so ago by people supposedly in the know, that the merger would go ahead if allowed, American Airlines would be the brand and the new livery had been approved by both boards as the joint image...or failing that, Americans' re-branding to help force a image of moving forwards and away from their old ways.


This info comes from discussions about the new AA livery and specifically to people questioning why the image change when a merger was looming.

[Vancouver]

They are only doing this to annoy us simmers so we have to trawl through our files to delete US Airways and paint the new awful AA scheme.

[Garry Russell]

Nah....we're OK mate as we are historic, well prehistoric in some cases.

Not checked yet but I don't think and BAC One-Elevens have appeared in the new AA livery yet

[NigelC]

New callsign???? "Ameritus?", "Cactican?" or perhaps "Americac?"

[Garry Russell]

I never did work out why such an airline as US Airways in a patriotic country like the US changed they code from USA to AWE and the callsign from USAIR to CACTUS?

[NigelC]

Must admit that one surprised me as well.

[clavel9]

Speculation has been rife about this, especially since the new corporate identity was unveiled - incorporating a flag graphic on the tail. The tiny eagle graphic on the forward fuselage is desultory given the proud history of the eagle on past AA liveries. It looks like a curled piece of paper.

I assume we'll be seeing American 757s in the new livery here in Dublin in due course, flying the US Airways scheduled service to Philadelphia.

[Chris Trott]

The US Air / America West merger to become US Airways (again), was an odd one. It involved US Air buying America West, but keeping the America West operating certificate and dropping the US Air one. Then, the US Air management became the "America West" management. Finally, America West was "reorganized" to become US Airways and took on the US Air livery with minor changes (and the return to the "US Airways" name on the side).

If that's confusing to you, it was even more confusing to the employees who had their seniority rosters shuffled 3 times during the process and their checks paid for by either 4 or 5 different companies depending on which timeline you look at.

Thankfully, it looks like the American Airlines / US Airways merger will be much easier, especially because the biggest unions (the pilots and flight attendants) have put together packages for the merger that have already been agreed upon by all parties and bargaining units, something that has never happened before, and the merger process is much simpler with the US Airways management taking over the merged airline and retaining the American Airlines corporate image and trading names under a new holding company (probably to be named something like American Holdings or American Airlines Holdings) to take the assets of US Airways and AMR Corp.

[Garry Russell]

Thanks Chris.

It was never clear at the time