Ever since the Consumer Travel Alliance released its AA/US Overlapping Connecting Route study, the AA/US merger has been under quiet attack by government watchdogs. And, last week, even some Wall Street analysts noted that merger savings projected by the airlines were uncertain.
There is only one reality at this time about the AA/US merger — consumers will have less competition in 38 out of 50 states. Basically, consumers are getting the brown end of the stick while airline executives are waltzing away with tens-of-millions of dollars.
Let’s remember: Antitrust laws are designed to protect consumers from lack of competition; and bankruptcy laws are created to sort out problems faced by creditors. The antitrust laws have little to do with bankruptcy, they should be focused on consumers and the good of the public.
Here is the lay of the land when it comes to this merger.
There is no financial need for the merger.
US Airways has just come off of a year of record-breaking profits. American Airlines is emerging from bankruptcy with billions of dollars in the bank, the largest plane contract in the history of aviation, some of the lowest interest rates in the history of business banking and labor contracts that will guarantee that the airline can make a profit.
There are no consumer benefits.
Even the airline CEOs are not touting great consumer benefits. No one is claiming that potential “synergies” are going to result in lower airfares and fewer fees. When the current US Airways/United Airlines alliance routes are taken into account, consumers will end up with fewer destinations that keeping the airline world as it is.
Labor benefits are doubtful.
Though, the merger cheerleaders are chanting that labor is behind this merger, that support is only skin deep. Giant fissures are forming between unions and there will be a grand battle between unions as the blend seniority lists and work rules.
As this merger is being studied, the past merger of American West and US Airways that created the current airline that is taking over AA, still has not completed its union integration. That is after more almost eight years.
The Teamsters and TWU are fighting over who will represent machinists. Pilot unions are uncertain about the merger and are still not united behind the current US Airways. AA flight attendants will be facing dissident TWA flight attendants and a far bigger flight attendant union that may make moves on AA’s independent union.
Competition will suffer.
According to the CTA study, almost 40 percent of AA routes and 30 percent of USAir one-stop routes are overlapping. The competition that will be wrung out of the system is enormous and will be felt across the country.
An example of airline pricing power when there is not enough competition? Try the recent change fee increase that raised change fees to $200 from $150. I was certain that AA and US would refrain from jumping on the bandwagon, but they were among the first of the airlines to go along with the increased fees. They didn’t seem concerned with optics as they stuck this new fee to passengers.
Non-hub airports will suffer.
A further examination of the CTA Overlapping Connecting Route study is the discovery that non-hub cities will lose the most competition.
Towns like Austin, Texas, Fresno, Calif., Seattle, Wash., St. Louis, Missouri, Pittsburgh, Penn., Raleigh Durham, NC, Kansas City, San Diego, Calif., and others will face the greatest lost of competition from this merger. Plus, they are most likely to lose service as the new merged airline right-sizes their route structure to eliminate redundancies.
From my point of view, this is a merger that serves no purpose for the public. It does not add to the overall aviation travel universe. It eliminates the low-price legacy airline leader from the competitive fray. Consumers will lose competition, any way that one measures it. And, local economies that rely on current levels of airline service may see them reduced.
I will be testifying before the Aviation Subcommittee of the Senate Commerce Committee on June 19th at 2:30 pm about this merger. Witnesses will include Doug Parker, CEO or USAirways, Gerald Dellingham, Director Civil Aviation Issues GAO, Susan Kurland, Assistant Secretary for Aviation and International Affairs DOT, and Charlie Leocha, Consumer Travel Alliance.
Charlie Leocha is the President of Travelers United. He has been working in Washington, DC, for the past 14 years with Congress, the Department of Transportation, and industry stakeholders on travel issues. He was the first consumer representative to the Advisory Committee for Aviation Consumer Protections appointed by the Secretary of Transportation from 2012 through 2018.
