I-Continental Airlines Inc., ngemuva kokumisa ukuhlanganiswa ne-United Airlines eminyakeni emibili edlule, izoqala kabusha imizamo yokuhlanganisa ukuze iqhubeke nokuncintisana, kusho isikhulu esiphezulu uJeff Smisek.
I-Continental, inkampani yenethiwekhi yesine ngobukhulu e-US, izoqhubeka nokuqapha inqubekelaphambili ye-Delta Air Lines Inc. kulandela ukuhlanganiswa kwayo ne-Northwest Airlines Corp., esho namuhla engqungqutheleni yezindiza i-JPMorgan Chase & Co. eNew York. Isinqumo se-Continental sokugwema ukujoyina i-UAL Corp.'s United ngo-Ephreli 2008 sasilungile ngaleso sikhathi, esho.
"Sizoqhubeka nokubuka amandla okuncintisana," kusho uSmisek. “Uma sicabanga ukuthi kusizuzisa kakhulu ukuqoqana ngokuzivikela, sizokwenza njalo. Kodwa ngicabanga ukuthi kusengaphambi kwesikhathi ukwenza leso sinqumo njengamanje.”
Isikhulu se-United uGlenn Tilton uthe ngoJanuwari ukuthi ukuhlanganiswa okubandakanya abathwali baseMelika kungenzeka ezinyangeni eziyi-12 kuye kwezingama-24, nokuthi indlela ebheke ekuhlanganisweni yenziwa bushelelezi ngemifelandawonye yomhlaba. I-Tilton ikhuthaze ukuhlanganiswa kwemboni yezindiza zase-US kusukela okungenani ngo-2004.
"Izwekazi liwumklomelo ongafunwa yinoma ngubani, futhi ungafanela i-United," kusho uRay Neidl, umhlaziyi wezindiza ezimele eNew York, engxoxweni. "I-Continental inohlelo oluhle kakhulu, kodwa alulingani neze ne-Delta giant."
I-Continental ikhuphuke ngo-91 cents, noma amaphesenti angu-4.5, yaya ku-$21.12 ngo-12:35 pm e-New York Stock Exchange yokuhweba okuyinhlanganisela, ngemva kokufinyelela ku-$21.47, usuku oluphakeme kakhulu kusukela ngo-Jan. 21. I-UAL ithole u-$1.48, noma amaphesenti angu-8.5, kuya ku-$19 e-Nasdaq Stock Market ukuhweba ngemuva kokubika izolo ukuthi imali engenayo yomgibeli ngamunye indize ngemayela ikhuphuke ngaphezu kwalokho okucatshangelwe abahlaziyi.
'Ukungakwazi Kwabo'
U-Smisek uphinde wathi umthetho omusha wenhlangano okuhloswe ngawo ukunciphisa ukubambezeleka kwesikhumulo sezindiza ungase ubangele ukukhanselwa kwendiza okwengeziwe. Kusukela ngo-Ephreli, izindiza zizodingeka ukuthi zidedele abahambi ezindizeni banamathele etiyeleni lesikhumulo sezindiza ngemuva kwamahora amathathu noma babhekane nenhlawulo engu-$27,500 umgibeli ngamunye. Ukubambezeleka kwetiyela okude kuyivelakancane, futhi ngokuvamile kuvame ukubangelwa uhlelo lokulawula ukuhamba kwezindiza lwase-US oluphelelwe yisikhathi, esho.
“Lokho kusho ukuthi sizokhansela izindiza eziningi,” kusho uSmisek. “Uhulumeni usibeka phansi ngoba enqaba ukutshala imali emgwaqeni onguthelawayeka esibhakabhakeni, bese uyasihlawulisa uma, ngenxa yokungakwazi kwabo ukusebenza, sibanjwe phansi.”
UBill Mosley, umkhulumeli woMnyango Wezokuthutha e-US, uthe "abathwali banamandla okuhlela izindiza ngendlela enengqondo" ngokuba nezindiza eziyisipele nabasebenzi abakhona futhi babhukhe kabusha abagibeli kwezinye izindiza lapho ukubambezeleka noma ukukhanselwa kungenakugwenywa.
“Ngaphansi kwemithetho emisha yomnyango, abathengi bangakhetha abathwali abangenazo ukubambezeleka kwetiyela, abangawahoxisi amabhanoyi abo njalo futhi bazohlinzeka ngosizo olwanele kubagibeli,” usho kanje.
Ozakwethu Abasha
I-Continental ijoyine i-United ku-Star alliance of carriers ngonyaka odlule kanti izindiza ezimbili zase-US ziyingxenye yebhizinisi elihlanganyelwe ne-Deutsche Lufthansa AG kanye ne-Air Canada ngaphesheya kwe-Atlantic. I-Continental ne-United bacele abalawuli imvume yokuhlanganisa amashejuli endiza nemali yokugibela yonkana i-Pacific ne-All Nippon Airways Co., ozakwabo ku-Star.
“Sithola imiphumela emihle kumfelandawonye we-Star,” kusho uSmisek. Inkampani yenethiwekhi ishiye iqembu le-SkyTeam labathwali, elihlanganisa i-Delta ne-Alitalia SpA, ukuze ijoyine i-Star. “Lokho kube wumjaho wethu wasekhaya.”
Uthe le nkampani yezindiza, ezinze e-Houston, ithwala abagibeli ababalelwa ku-2.5 ngaphezulu ngesihlalo ngasinye nabalingani bayo be-Star kunaleyo eyayenza neSkyTeam.
