Executives at American Airlines have no anxiety over potential renewed merger talks between United Airlines and US Airways threatening American's competitive position in the USA.
A report in The New York Times has sparked a raft of speculation that the two carriers are in deep discussions to merge after failing to reach a similar arrangement two previous times this decade.
Asked to comment about the potential tie-up American CEO Gerard Arpey says the carrier is "not threatened by some communications that might be happening in the industry".
Arpey made those comments today after members of the Oneworld alliance concluded their Governing Board meeting.
American's chief is confident the carrier's strategy of building its network around the key US markets of Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami and New York places the carrier in a favourable position versus its competitors. "Those are the most important corner posts in the US," he says.
Arpey also believes consolidation is not a panacea for the airline industry's woes. Carriers consolidating is not "necessarily the answer to all the economic challenges the industry faces", Arpey explains.
However, some consolidation in the airline industry on a global scale is inevitable, says Arpey.
Oneworld partners British Airways and Iberia today signed their formal merger agreement, and expect to close on the deal during the fourth quarter.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
