AMR CEO on US Airways Bid: 'What's in the Water in Phoenix?'

Today, the big three U.S. airlines are successfully playing the hands they were dealt in the first half of the 20th century, when they were created or established a presence in cities that grew into dominant hubs. US Airways was created in 1939 to serve the Pittsburgh area.

In its story, the Dallas Morning News noted that international routes accounted for 27% of US Airways 2011 capacity, including regional capacity, while accounting for 41% of capacity at American, 47% at Delta and 48% at United Continental.

US Airways does not have any hubs big enough or strategically placed enough to have enabled trans-Pacific flying with its current fleet or extensive Latin American flying, so the bulk of its international flying involves trans-Atlantic routes from Philadelphia. Before the United/Continental merger, US Airways had more flights between the East Coast and Europe than United did.

-- Written by Ted Reed in Charlotte, N.C.

>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Ted Reed

>To follow the writer on Twitter, go to http://twitter.com/tedreednc.

>To contact the writer of this article, click here: Ted Reed

>To order reprints of this article, click here: Reprints