Delta/Northwest May Spark More Airline Mergers

The proposed merger of Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines is likely to spur other carriers to go after the cost savings and brand recognition required to survive amid high fuel prices and a weak US economy.

If the long-awaited consolidation wave were to happen, the airlines most likely to follow suit would be United Airlines and Continental Airlines, which reportedly have been in talks for months.

Continental said on Tuesday that it would review strategic alternatives. But pilots of both companies said they would not back a merger unless they approved of the terms.

Airwise