UNITED AIRLINES, the world's second largest carrier, is in severe trouble and seriously threatening bankruptcy after the US Government rejected a loan guarantee for more than a billion pounds. How this rolling story will pan out over the coming days/weeks is hard to say but clearly passengers booking on the airline for their Christmas travel might well reconsider the position and transfer to an alternative carrier, further increasing United”s problems. If UA were to go the question of its Heathrow slots, acquired in 1990 from another failure, Pam Am, would then arise, a battle likely to be fought between Delta Air Lines and Continental, with Northwest looking on. A failure by UA would have serious consequences for the Star Alliance, although how it would affect BMi”s single North Atlantic route from Manchester to Chicago is unclear.
http://www.ual.com