DALLAS — US Airways Group, the smallest full-service domestic carrier, on Wednesday confirmed its interest in exploring a deal with American Airlines parent AMR Corp. in bankruptcy.
Millstein & Co., Barclays and the law firm of Latham & Watkins have been hired to help Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways evaluate options, Chief Executive Officer Doug Parker said on a conference call with analysts and investors.
His comments marked the first acknowledgment of any AMR-related interest, after US Airways declined to respond last week when two people familiar with the matter said a potential merger was under study. With the industry shrinking in tie-ups in the past four years, further contraction is possible while “no longer imperative,” Parker said Wednesday.
“We can now decide whether it’s best to operate as a standalone or to participate in further consolidation over time,” Parker said. US Airways is “always interested in studying value-enhancing opportunities,” he said.
TPG Capital and Delta also are evaluating possible bids for American, people familiar with the matter have said. TPG and Delta have said they aren’t commenting about any interest in AMR, and Delta CEO Richard Anderson deflected a question about industry mergers on a conference call Wednesday.
AMR, the third-largest U.S. airline, filed for Chapter 11 protection Nov. 29 after annual losses that began in 2008. That step reignited industry speculation that the carrier would be a takeover target, with US Airways, the fifth-largest U.S. carrier, most often cited by analysts as a partner.
AMR has declined to discuss any merger-related questions. CEO Tom Horton has signaled his interest in keeping the airline independent, telling employees in a memo Tuesday that the company is working to “help American get back on top.”
US Airways is preparing a merger plan that would boost revenue and fix a weak domestic route system at American, the people familiar with the matter said last week. President Scott Kirby is leading the analysis, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the discussions are private.
A US Airways-American combination would hold about a 20 percent domestic market share, according to Jeff Straebler, an independent airline analyst based in Stamford, Conn. That would put the blended carrier on roughly equal footing with United Continental, Delta and Southwest, Straebler said last week.
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