United Airlines and US Airways Could be Contemplating a Merger Deal, Reports Suggest

(NewsVisual, powered by IntellectSpace) -- As climbing fuel costs strain the finances of all the major airlines, United Airlines Inc, which is owned by UAL Corp (NASDAQ:UAUA), is reported to be in merger talks with US Airways Group Inc (NYSE:LCC), and the prospect of the two companies being able to join their cultures appears to be good.

"After seeing its latest prospect slip away on Sunday with the decision of Continental Airlines to end merger talks, United restarted discussions with US Airways about a possible deal, according to people with direct knowledge of the negotiations," The New York Times reported in an article on Tuesday.

Given the close personal connections between these two airlines, a merger could be more workable than with other potential partners.

NewsVisual created an IntellectSpace Knowledge Map that of United and US Airways that shows the following personal connections among their leadership teams:

UAL Corp CEO/President/Chairman Glenn F Tilton is linked to US Airways Director Herbert M Baum through their board service to the American Petroleum Institute.  And a less noteworthy connection exists between Mr Baum and the former UAL Corp Director Paul E Tierney via the Council on Foreign Relations.

The Knowledge Map also illustrates that several of the two companies’ Directors are also connected through universities, including Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame, and Yale Law School.

To view the details of those connections, click here for an interactive and fuller version of this IntellectSpace Knowledge Map.

(Note: the information contained and presented in Knowledge Maps is public information from the Securities and Exchange Commission of the United States of America).