US + America West + Delta = Delta?

US Airways, still in the process of completing its merger with America West, has made a bid for much larger Delta Airlines.

There are still lots of hurdles to pass, but if it succeeds at least one airline alliance will lose an airline, for Delta is a member of Sky Team and US Airways a member of Star Alliance. I agree with Upgrade Travel Better that it is likely Star Alliance would lose out - Delta is both a larger airline than US Airways (even after the merger with America West) and a more significant contributor to Sky Team than US Airways is to Star Alliance. There may also be a direct impact on United Airlines which has lots of codeshares on US Airways - will these remain in place with an enlarged Delta?

Star Alliance and Sky Team frequent flyer program members counting on mileage earning or elite status benefits on US Airways or Delta flights from mid next year would do well to keep informed of the merger progress in case they need to switch flights to get the benefits.