US Airways CEO says mergers hinge on cuts

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Airlines that consolidate through mergers or acquisitions must reduce the number of planes in the sky and make the industry more efficient, US Airways CEO Doug Parker said Thursday.

"Consolidation for consolidation sake is not necessarily a good thing," Parker told reporters at a news event at the carrier's Tempe headquarters. "To take two airlines and just put them together and not create efficiencies by flying to all the same places with fewer airplanes doesn't create the value you need."

Some industry observers have speculated that if Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. combine, they might not cut a significant number of flights because their systems have little overlap.

Parker said that kind of deal wouldn't make much sense. "If that's the case, they're not increasing opportunity for anybody," he said.

For years, Parker has praised the benefits of consolidation in the industry. With fewer carriers in the sky, airlines will be able to pack more people on planes, maximizing the amount of money they can make per flight.