Finita la comedia: Izingxoxo ze-United-USAir ziyaphela

ATLANTA - I-US Airways inqamule izingxoxo ne-United Airlines, okushiye i-United iphishekela isivumelwano ne-Continental Airlines esizohlela kabusha uhlelo embonini yezindiza.

I-US Airways, okuyinkampani yesithupha ngobukhulu ezweni, ayizange isho ngokuqondile ngoLwesine ukuthi kungani iqede izingxoxo ne-United, nakuba kubonakala sengathi ukuzibandakanya kwe-Continental kube neqhaza.

Izingxoxo ezivuselelwe mayelana nokuhlanganiswa kwezindiza ziza njengoba amanani kaphethiloli enyuka. Nakuba isidingo sokuhamba ngendiza sesithuthukile kusukela ekuwohlokeni komnotho, izinkampani ezinkulu zenethiwekhi zisazabalaza ukuthola inzuzo. Abathwali abaningana abakhulu, okuhlanganisa ne-Continental, babike ukulahlekelwa kwekota yokuqala kuleli sonto.

Sekuyisikhathi eside abahlaziyi begcizelele ukuthi, naphezu kokuncishiswa kwamandla okujulile okwenzeka lapho isidingo sibuthakathaka, imboni yezindiza idinga ukuqhubeka incipha ukuze ibe nenzuzo eqhubekayo.

I-United ne-Continental icabange ukuhlanganisa ngo-2008 - ngawo lowo nyaka i-Delta Air Lines yaqeda ukuthengwa kwe-Northwest Airlines - kwaze kwaba yilapho i-Continental inqamula izingxoxo.

Isimo semboni sishintshe kakhulu kusukela lapho.

I-Continental inohlu olusha lwabaphathi kusukela izingxoxo zayo zangaphambili ne-United, nakuba i-CEO ye-Continental u-Jeff Smisek wayengumongameli kanye nesiphakamiso esiyinhloko sokusebenza ngaphansi kwe-CEO yangaphambilini.

I-United nayo izamile ukucekela phansi imali nesithombe sayo eminyakeni emibili kusukela lapho.

“Bakwazile ukwenza ngcono imali engenayo futhi banciphise nezindleko,” kusho uHelane Becker, umhlaziyi we-Jesup & Lamont.

I-US Airways, ngakolunye uhlangothi, iwumkhiqizo wenhlanganisela eyodwa futhi kudala ifuna enye.

“I-US Airways ibikulungele ukusayina isivumelwano ne-United ngesikhathi ithola ukuthi i-United izimisele kakhulu ngokusayina isivumelwano ne-Continental,” kusho umuntu obechazelwa ngezingxoxo.

Umuntu ubengagunyaziwe ukukhuluma esidlangalaleni, futhi ukhulume ngombandela wokudalulwa igama.

“Kunemizwa elimele kakhulu ePhoenix,” kusho lo muntu. I-US Airways Group Inc. izinze eTempe, Ariz., indawo engaphansi kwe-Phoenix.

Isikhulu se-US Airways esingathandanga kudalulwe igama lakhe ngenxa yokuthi lo muntu ubengagunyaziwe ukuxoxa esidlangalaleni ngezingxoxo eziyimfihlo sithe isinqumo senkampani yezindiza sokunqamula izingxoxo bekungesebhizinisi, hhayi esithinta imizwa. “Akekho okhotha amanxeba lapha,” kusho lo muntu.

I-US Airways ithe yize ibhodi layo linqume ukuqeda izingxoxo ne-United, ikholelwa ukuthi isasebenza njengenkampani yezindiza ezimele.

“Njengoba ngike ngasho izikhathi eziningi, akudingekile ukuba sibe abahlanganyeli abaqondile ekuhlanganiseni ngoba yonke imboni iyazuza uma ukuhlanganiswa kwenzeka,” kusho isikhulu se-US Airways uDoug Parker encwadini yememo eya kubasebenzi.

I-United, iyunithi ye-UAL Corp., ezinze e-Chicago, ayizange ikhulume ngokuqondile nokuphawula kwe-US Airways esitatimendeni, ithi nje isaqhubeka nokukholelwa ukuthi imboni izozuza ekuhlanganisweni.

U-Smisek unqabile ukuphawula ngesinqumo se-US Airways futhi unikeze incazelo engacacile yezenzo zenkampani yakhe ekuhlanganiseni.

“Njengoba ubungalindela ethimbeni labaphathi elinomthwalo wemfanelo, sihlola izinketho ze-Continental futhi sizothatha noma yiziphi izinyathelo esikholelwa ukuthi zizosiza kakhulu esisebenza nabo, abanikazi bamasheya, amakhasimende kanye nemiphakathi esiyisebenzelayo,” usho kanje.

Isimemezelo se-US Airways size ngemuva kwezwi lokuthi i-United ne-Continental bashintshisane ngolwazi lwezezimali njengesandulela senhlanganisela engaba khona phakathi kwalezo zinkampani ezimbili zenethiwekhi.

Ochwepheshe bemboni baphakamise ukuthi inhlanganisela ye-United-Continental yenza umqondo owengeziwe ngokwengxenye ngenxa yokuthi laba bathwali ababili sebevele babambisana kahle kanjani. I-Continental, ezinze e-Houston, okwamanje iyingxenye ye-United's Star Alliance lapho bathengisa khona izihlalo ezindizeni zomunye nomunye futhi bazosebenzisana eduze ekusezweni ngamazwe ngamazwe.

Uma i-United ne-Continental bezoqeda isivumelwano, izodala inkampani enkulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni, igxume phezu kweDelta.

Abantu ababikelwe ngalezo zingxoxo bathi amabhange e-United kanye ne-Continental baxoxa ngokuthi bangazazisa kanjani izinkampani ngokushintshaniswa kwesitoko.

Kumemo eya kubasebenzi be-US Airways, uParker uthe ophethe uyaqhubeka nokukholelwa ebuhleni bokuhlanganiswa, kodwa ngekusasa elibonakalayo uhlose ukuhlala engumthwali ozimele.

“Nginesiqiniseko sokuthi abanye 'ochwepheshe bezimboni' bazophakamisa ukuthi i-US Airways izolimala uma i-United manje ikhetha ukuzihlanganisa ne-Continental. Bazobe benephutha,” kusho uParker.

Ukuhlanganiswa ne-United bekuzoyisiza i-US Airways ukuthi ithole izinga lamazwe ngamazwe, kodwa inkampani kusalindeleke ukuthi izuze ekuthuthukiseni izisekelo zemboni njengoba umnotho wase-US ubuyela emuva, kusho umhlaziyi we-Standard & Poor uJim Corridore.

"Sicabanga ukuthi i-premium nesidingo sokungcebeleka kungenzeka siqhubeke nokuba ngcono futhi silindele ukuvinjwa kwamandla emboni ukuze kuholele ezindlekweni eziphezulu," kusho u-Corridore.

I-US Airways ayiyona inqaba emdlalweni wokuhlanganisa. Phambilini yayihlangene ne-America West futhi, ngenkathi i-Delta ihlela kabusha ngokuqothuka, yenza ibhidi elinonya lokuthola i-Delta. Leso bhilidi sagcina sehlulekile, kwathi kamuva iDelta yathola iNorthwest.

Ukubambelela okukodwa esivumelwaneni se-United-Continental kungase kube ilungiselelo lenkontileka yenyunyana yabashayeli bamabhanoyi base-Continental evimbela inkampani yabo ukuthi yabelane ngenzuzo ngebhizinisi elihlanganyelwe nenye inkampani yase-US.

Isigaba somthetho siyisihloko sezingxoxo zamanje ngenkontileka entsha. Khonamanjalo, umholi wenyunyana yabashayeli bezindiza e-United, usetshengise ukwesekwa okwengeziwe nge-Continental kune-US Airways.

Phakathi kwezinkampani zenethiwekhi zase-US ezikleliswe ngokwethrafikhi yabagibeli, i-United isendaweni yesithathu, i-Continental yesine ne-US Airways isendaweni yesithupha, ngemuva kancane kwe-Southwest Airlines.