Airline Division Week In Review June 24, 2012

Airline Industry News
Governmental and Regulatory
The FAA’s announced delay for implementation of stricter pilot training and experience rules has outraged the families who lost loved ones in the crash of Colgan 3407…Interim FAA Chief Michael Huerta made his case to be named the full time FAA chief on Thursday
Airline and Industry
A bankruptcy judge has postponed a ruling on whether to void contracts between American Airlines and its unions. Judge Sean Lane will rule June 29.
Southwest Airlines and AirTran Airways mechanics this week approved a proposal for creating a single seniority list. The airlines' customer service agents, customer support and service employees and stock clerks are still negotiating seniority agreements.
Boeing predicts strong demand for its 747-8 from overseas markets. "We see a big market to the Middle East and Asia. There are a lot of discussions going on in those places," said Tony Simpson of Boeing Capital Corp.
Columnist Mitchell Schnurman says Doug Parker, the CEO of US Airways, is continuing on his quest for a merger with American Airlines. "With Parker and US Airways, you can't rule out anything, and that's part of their appeal. These are the upstarts who have changed the conversation, the risk-takers who want to change the game," writes Schnurman.
Fred Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx, said the air freight business "is not growing." Smith says FedEx will unveil a program in October to cut costs. 
"If Comair’s 50-seaters are parked and either the CRJ900s or CRJ700s are used in two-for-one deal with other contract carriers, Comair could be unviable as a carrier," says a source. Delta did not offer a comment on Comair's future…Tom Horton, the CEO of AMR Corp., has asked a bondholder group to consider a stand-alone plan for American Airlines before a merger plan proposed by US Airways, sources say. The bondholders hold $700 million of debt for AMR Corp., which filed for bankruptcy in November.
The three largest unions at American Airlines support a merger with US Airways…The Allied Pilots Association, which represents pilots at American Airlines, have declined to send the carrier's latest offer to members for a vote.