American Airlines and US Airways finally sign nondisclosure agreement
Skift Take
It took at least a month to get this agreement to share information signed. It makes it seem as if American Airlines was kicking and screaming all along the way.
The companies said Friday they signed legal documents allowing them to confidentially exchange information. But a deal is still far from reality.
"It does not mean we are merging — it simply means we have agreed to work together to discuss and analyze a potential merger," US Airways CEO Doug Parker said in a letter to employees Friday.
Such a merger would put the combined airline on par with the world's largest — United Continental Holdings Inc. — and the slightly smaller Delta Air Lines. Its position as the No. 1 or No. 2 airline in the world, based on how many miles its passengers fly, would depend on how many routes anti-trust regulators force the combined airline to abandon.
Parker has been pushing for a merger since American's parent company, AMR Corp., entered Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Nov. 29, 2011. American Airlines CEO Tom Horton has said his airline is weighing several options, i
