Sat, Jan 22, 2005
Pollsters Consider Most Likely Airline To Fail
By ANN Senior Correspondent Kevin R.C. "Hognose" O'Brien
There are some polls
you just don't want to win. Forbes Magazine is running an
online poll which essentially asks which legacy carrier will
join Pan Am, Eastern, and Braniff on the dust heap of history. You
would think that Delta would be leading the list with its recent
announcement of multibillion dollar losses and its unmanageable
debt burden, but US Air is far ahead, with 50% of over a thousand
votes at 0800 Friday morning.
The next most popular choice was "More than one of the above"
with over 20% of the action. Delta and United were trailing with 9%
and 8%, respectively, and relatively few voters thought that
American, America West, American, Continental or Northwest were
likely to go paws-up; they were at 1-2%.
Sunbeam optimism, represented by "None of the above," was the
choice of 3%. The usual political poll winner, "I don't know,"
edged out "None of the above" with 4%.
You can participate in the poll yourself at by clicking on the
first FMI link below.
In the interests of full disclosure, this writer's cursor
hovered over Delta for a moment, then he voted for "more than one
of the above." I wish this were not the case. Most of us at ANN
have friends at these airlines; all of us can recall a kind person
or someone who boldly solved a thorny travel problem for us. But
we're still trying to understand why they're running a price war
when crude oil is $50 a barrel.
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