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.

FMI: www.forbes.com/business/2005/01/21/cx_js_0121polldujour.html, www.usairways.com