UNITED AIRLINES has been given another 30 days, effectively until the end of September, by a US bankruptcy court to file its own reorganisation plan without recourse to competing plans from creditors. United had asked a four month extension but reached an agreement with creditors for the much shorter period. Financing has been organised for the interim period. Crux of the plan seems to be how the airline”s pension schemes are dealt with. Rocketing and unstable fuel prices are not helping the situation. Also in extremely serious trouble is US Airways, who some commentators believe could fail completely within four weeks, and also Delta Airlines, often cited as the model of efficiency who are in discussion with its Unions, again over pension plans in a bid to escape Chapter 11. (see also Air Canada above).
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