Will Alaska keep Virgin America's Airbuses???

Virgin has all the assets in place to maintain and operate the Airbus fleet. This would not be a priority to a merger for initially they can continue to operate them as they do now and avoid the high capital reinvestment costs until the merger settles down. The have to integrate the business and the IT first and they can integrate ticketing and ground facilities. When that is operating they can the turn to the flying side, unless they plan to keep them separate.

Seniority lists will have to be integrated and that is likely to be the first major hurtle. Down the road they may elect to go with a single type, but all this speculation is far too early.

When it comes time to select new aircraft, it will depend on what is owned outright and what is leased. The latter will likely go first and their intentions will become clear on with what they replace them.

Leased ... and when they end, the first ones in approximately 2 years, they can decide.
I think you can find plenty of articles stating that this was a defensive move, growth for sure, but
limtiing Jet Blue in AS territory.

There was nothing in the article about wether or not the Airbuses will stay

Is it really going to be a merger, or a buyout, like their relationship with Horizon?

I think they"ll keep them.
Look at Delta before they took over Northwest, they had an all MD and Boeing fleet and they kept the Airbus planes from Northwest and they still today love them, they're geting 100 brand new Airbus planes from Airbus now.
I think Alaska should try the Airbus planes

This is an "only time will tell" type of question. I think the fact that the airplanes are leased will be part of the decision. Part of the decision will be maintenance, having to keep spare parts for two different airplanes and where will the parts be stored. I don't think that except for one employee group the integration of the Airbus into Alaska's system will not make any difference. But that employee group is a significant one. It is the pilot group and it will not be the integration of the seniority list that help make the decision, it will be the type ratings required for the different aircraft and scheduling of those aircraft. With one type on property pilots can fly anywhere and the integration of their schedules are much easier to maintain. If there are two types of aircraft on property and they don't have a common type rating you can't efficiently schedule your crews. I'm not making any predictions, but it will be interesting to see how this all works out.

Just my opinion, I'm guessing a selling of the A319s and A320s. Think of the different type ratings, mechanics, etc that come along with new aircraft. Add to that the fact that the NG is a little more fuel efficient :).

I think they will rent or sell them off and use some of that moolah to buy more Boeing's.

Alaska Air & Virgin America Deal

With the upcoming acquisition of Virgin America comes a fleet of 60 Airbus A319 and A320 Aircraft. Sounds great, right? Not if you own and operate 147 Boeing 737s. Like a collector of Corvettes has every Chevy tool in their garage what does he do if he comes across a fleet of Mustangs?

The aviation industry is not unfamiliar with this type of transition. When Southwest took over Air Tran, they took over 88 Boeing 717s that as you know do not match the distinctive Boeing 737 they exclusively fly. Southwest ended up leasing those 717’s to Delta Airlines who was happy to accept.

Now if Alaska Air decides to follow the same path, who would at all be interested? Possibly the larger American Airlines which currently operates 125 A319 and 54 A320. I am sure the cash strapped largest U.S Carrier would be interested in a garage sale of aircraft.

Now this may seem like not a problem to the regular traveler but if you have ever noticed on the nose of Alaska Air planes, they have painted “Proudly All Boeing”. Interesting.
-Shane Piper​

think the A319/320 are leased and leases to run out in 2021... and AK has more 737s on order... looks like a slow orderly conversion to the 737... AK bought Virgin to cut down the competition on the West coast

Alaska will stay all Boeing. They've flown 737's for a long time. They had some MD-80's and gradually got rid of them. With both firms being from the Northwest (Boeing still has a major presence in Seattle), I expect as leases run out on the Airbus planes, they'll add Boeing planes to replace them. But...will they all be 737's?

Nearly all of VX's Airbus fleet is leased, not owned--with leases set to expire beginning in 2020. I think it AS won't make a decision until nearer to the lease expiration, because as Canuck44 says, AS has bigger, more immediate, fish to fry.

I don't think so, airbuses demand different maintenance needs than boeing, are more complex aircraft. I believe VX will have to increase it's spending budget without affecting AS market prices......

No

Wondered about this too. Really thought JetBlue would do better with the similar fleet and they both share the same LAX terminal as a hub. Alaska will have to move and deal with a split fleet. It looks like Alaska/VA and JetBlue will end up roughly the same size and be similar companies, based mostly on different coasts.

I go for Alaska going all Boeing.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/alaska-air-deal-sets-up-face-off-for-aircraft-makers-1459800107

Decals over expansion ? Come on !

Type ratings, parts, and maintenance will be OK. It will be staging those crews or keeping the Airbus on Airbus routs and Boeing on Boeing routes. AS, I feel can not keep up with the dollar for service value we have become familiar with from VA.