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Oct.30

9:15 AM ET

Thursday, 30 Oct 2008

Airlines: A Tale of Mergers and Bankruptcy

Posted By:Ariel Nelson | Gina Francolla

Topics:Airlines | Stock Market

Delta Air Lines [DAL Loading... () ] and Northwest Airlines' [NWA Loading... () ] merger was approved yesterday by the Justice Department, creating the world's biggest airline. Both emerged from bankruptcy in the spring of 2007.

Bankruptcy which can allow reductions in labor costs, pensions, and the shedding of costly assets, such as planes and redundant routes, often helps potential partners realign their operations. Mergers can yield many of the same benefits but are often viewed as expensive and sloppy, especially if cultures differ. The Delta and Northwest deal was held up for awhile as pilot unions debate seniority integration.

Here is a table of how fleet sizes have changed since airlines have merged. On an annualized basis, most fleets have grown less than 1% per year. Only low cost players Southwest [LUV Loading... () ] and AirTran [AAI Loading... () ] have significantly grown their fleets.

A Rundown of Airline Bankruptcy History and Performance:
Northwest [NWA Loading... () ] and Delta [DAL Loading... () ] entered bankruptcy in September of 2005, and both emerged from bankruptcy in the Spring of 2007

Delta emerged from bankruptcy on April 30, 2007 after 19 months, and is down over 60% since then
Northwest emerged from bankruptcy on May 7, 2007 after 20 months, and is also down about 60% since then

Bankrupt US Airways Group [LCC Loading... () ] merged with America West in late September 2005, and shares are down over 28% since the merger.

US Airways filed for bankruptcy in September, 2004, for the second time.
US Airways filed for bankruptcy for the first time in August, 2002 after a failed merger with UAL Corp. in 2000 - 2001, and 9/11 caused and extended closure of Washington-Reagan Airport
-The company emerged from bankruptcy in the Spring of 2003

UAL Corp. [UAUA Loading... () ] and Continental [CAL Loading... () ] have also been mentioned as potential partners. It was also rumored that Continental and AMR [AMR Loading... () ], the parent of American Airlines had been in exploratory discussions earlier this year. UAL's United Airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December, 2002.

UAL did not emerge from bankruptcy until February of 2006, after more than 3 years of restructuring, and is down over 10% since its emergence.
Continental declared bankruptcy first in September, 1983, and again in 1990, emerging in 1993 after an investment by Air Canada along with Air Partners and Texas Pacific Group.
-Continental is up over 200% since it emerged from bankruptcy in 1993
AMR avoided bankruptcy in 2003 when it reached agreement with three key unions allowing it to reduce labor costs.

Read more on the merger here

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