AMR to merge with U.S. Airways, United, or Delta?
Sunday evening I posted about how American Airlines or U.S. Airways registered a bunch of domain names related to a merger with U.S. Airways.
Today I have clarity that the company doing the registering is American Airlines. [Update: Apparently U.S. Airways claims responsibility. I find this interesting given that some of the domains are specific to American, and some of them don’t even if the U.S. Airways brand in them, e.g. AAdvantageofUs.] But now we’ve lost the clarity on if American is merging with U.S. Airways or someone else.
Yesterday a company, through MarkMonitor affiliate DNStinations, registered these additional domains:
american-deltaairlines.com, .net, and .org
american-unitedairlines.org
americanairlinesdelta.org
americandeltaairlines.org
americanunitedairlines.org
deltaairlines-american.org
deltaairlinesamerican.org
deltaairlinesamericanairlines.org
deltaandaa.org
unitedairlines-american.org
unitedairlinesamerican.org
unitedamericanairlines.org
unitedandaa.org
Given that the common company between all of the domains is American, it’s a good bet that AMR is the registrant despite using MarkMonitor’s version of whois privacy. [See update above]
So here’s the bigger question: why did AMR (or U.S. Airways) register all of the US Airways domains last Friday, and then not get around to protecting other combinations such as with United and Delta until Monday?
There are three four possibilities.
First, U.S. Airways is the most likely merger partner but the company realized it should protect the others just in case.
Second, U.S. Airways is who the company plans to merge with but American wanted to throw up a smokescreen after news of the original domains got out.
Third, someone at MarkMonitor dropped the ball Friday and didn’t get around to registering the new domains until yesterday.
Fourth (added), U.S. Airways registered the domains Friday (which I still find intriguing if the merger is just at discussion point given some of the names registered only having American Brands in them) and then American realized on Monday that it should protect some other possibilities.
Walden says
Given that a US Airways spokeswoman stated in an article yesterday that it was her company that had bought the US-AA combined domain names, I think your claim that American has been the sole purchaser here is a bit unlikely.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Walden – thanks for pointing that out. I find that very intriguing. Registering aadvantageofus.com seems peculiar since US Airways doesn’t own the AA brand.
Andrew Allemann says
To make things even more fun, here’s the latest registration at MarkMonitor: delta-usairways.com
Kevin says
But US is in the aadvantageofUS.com. It is a play on words.
aadvantage of US(Air)…
So they do own that brand (ie US)
Andrew Allemann says
@ Kevin – fair point. I looked just at the AAdvantage. Still, grey area to purchase a domain including another brand without that brand’s permission. I find it especially surprising at MarkMonitor if they didn’t have American’s permission, too.
Andrew says
I think that US and AA never intended for their Friday domain name purchases to be leaked, so now they are in “cover-up” mode in an attempt to keep things quiet.
Andrew Allemann says
@ Andrew – I think you’re right.
craig says
To me this is a stunning breach of corporate security.
But what a great idea – just watch for domain purchases and get a heads up on pending takeovers.
Sadly, still too many executives don’t “get” domains, so it might not always work.
Like in Fort Myers -78 million for a new ball park and they forgot to reg the .com
A fan noticed, went ahead and then pointed the url to HIS favourite team – and it wasn’t the home team!
Daniel says
I think now it’s an easy answer !
United =potential bid but united did not say anything but they talked with AA
Dela found out about US Airways domains =Delta also created domains =DELTA KNOW THT THE UNIONS WON’T ALLOW AN US AIRWAYS MERGER!
THEREFORE DELTA DOES NOT CREATE DELTAUSAIRWAYS DOMAINS
AMERICAN IS SECRETLY INTERESTED IN THREE AIRLINES OR THE ESIEST ANSWER
I THINK ALSO BANKRUPTCY COURT IS ALLOWED TO CREATE DOMAINS AND THEY DON’T NEED TO ASK FOR PERMISSION!
THEY JUST KNOW THAT THE WON’T ALLOW EXTENSION FOR AA ON MARCH 22 SO THEY KNOW AMERICANS PLAN WILL FAIL SO THE ARE ABOUT TO
PREPARE FOR THE MERGER !
NOT AMERICAN NOT DELTA NOT UNITED NOT US AIRWAYS ARE THE CREATERS OF THESE DOMAINS!
MAYBE US AIRWAYS KNOWS ABOUT THE COURT AND THEY ALREADY WORK TOGETHER SO MAKE A FAST MERGER .
OR MAYBE US AIRWAYS CREATED DOMAINS ON FRIDAY AND THE COURT FOUND OUT AND HAS ALSO INTEREST IN OTHER PARTNERS FOR AMERICAN !
THE COURT NOW DECIDES WAHT ‘S GONN ABE THE BEST PARTNER FOR AA
IT IS SURE BECAUSE US AIRWAYS SAID THEY WERE
DOIN DOMAINS BUT THEY ARE JUST SAYIN SOMETHIN LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY CAN’T TELL PUBLIC THAT THE BANCRUPTCY COURT DID EVERYTHING CUZ THE COURT WON’T ALLOW EXTENSION FOR AA BUT PUBLIC IS NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW UNTIL ON MARCH 22!
Daniel says
I think now it’s an easy answer !
United =potential bid but united did not say anything but they talked with AA
Delta found out about US Airways domains =Delta also created domains =DELTA KNOWS THAT THE UNIONS WON’T ALLOW AN US AIRWAYS MERGER!
THEREFORE DELTA DOES NOT CREATE DELTAUSAIRWAYS DOMAINS
AMERICAN IS SECRETELY INTERESTED IN THREE AIRLINES
OR THE EASIEST ANSWER…
I THINK ALSO BANKRUPTCY COURT IS ALLOWED TO CREATE DOMAINS AND THEY DON’T NEED TO ASK FOR PERMISSION!
THEY WON’T ALLOW EXTENSION FOR AA ON MARCH 22 SO THEY KNOW AMERICANS PLAN WILL FAIL SO THE BANCURPTY COOURT IS ABOUT TO
PREPARE FOR A MERGER !
NOT AMERICAN NOT DELTA NOT UNITED AIRLINES NOT US AIRWAYS ARE THE CREATERS OF THESE DOMAINS!
MAYBE US AIRWAYS KNOWS ABOUT THE COURT’S PLAN AND DECISION AND THEY ALREADY WORK TOGETHER TO MAKE A FAST MERGER .
OR MAYBE US AIRWAYS CREATED DOMAINS ON FRIDAY AND THE COURT FOUND OUT AND IS ALSO INTERESTED IN OTHER PARTNERS FOR AMERICAN !
THE COURT NOW DECIDES WAHT ‘S GONNA HAPPEN WITH AMERICAN OR WHAT WILL BE THE BEST PARTNER!
IT IS SURE BECAUSE US AIRWAYS SAID THEY WERE
DOIN DOMAINS BUT THEY ARE JUST SAYIN SOMETHIN LIKE THAT BECAUSE THEY CAN’T TELL PUBLIC THAT THE BANCRUPTCY COURT CREATED DOMAINS
US AIRWAYS AND THE BANCRUPTCY COURT WORK TOGETHER ! AND THE COURT WANTS TO MAKE SURE THAT NOBODY KNOWS THAT THEY WON’T ALLOW EXTENSION FOR AA
SORRY MY PC IS CRAZY!!!!
Daniel says
THEREFORE IT IS ALSO UNLIKELY THAT AA WILL GET EXTENSION BECAUSE THEY CAME TOO LATE WITH THEIR PROBLEMS . WHO COMES TOO LATE WILL ALWAYS BE PUNISHED SND WHEN DELTA ETC filed FOR BANCRUPTCY THERE WAS MONEY ENOUGH TO HELP SICK AIRLINES BUT NOWADAYS THE COURT DOES NOT WANT TO WAIT TOO LONG FOR A DECISION OF AN AIRLINE OR COMPANY… IT IS FINANCIAL CRISIS AND AMERICAN HAS ENOUGH TIME AND HAS ENOUGH PARTNERS THAT WANT TO HELP AMERICAN LIKE US AIRWAYS DELTA ETC. SO THE COURT THINKS THAT AMERICAN REALLY SHOULDN’T GET HELP FROM THE COURT ANYMORE BECAUSE THERE ARE ENOUGH CHANCES TO FLY BETTER THAN ALONE ! ALSO THE IMAGE OF AMERICAN THROUGH THE SAFETY VIOLATIONS AND THE CHAOS WITH THE FAA ARE PROBLEMS FOR AA ! THE COURT AYBE THINKS THAT AMERICAN NEEDS TO MERGER TO GET A BETTER IMAGE ! BECAUSE AA IMAGE IS ALSO SICK AND THE COURT THINKS THAT AA ONLY GETS A BETTER IMAGE WITH A NEW AIRLINE TOGETHER MERGED ! DON’T FORGET ABOUT THAT AMERICAN GOT ONE OF THE HIGHEST FINDE FORERVER IN AVIATION HISTORY IN THE US AND EVERYBODY AROUND THE WORLD KNOWS THAT . I KNOW IT AND I AM EUROPEAN ! IT REALLY COUNTS FOR THE COURT THAT AA SHOULD GET A BETTER IMAGE , TOO!
jorge says
If I buy: Jorge-UnitedAirines.com, then it is cybersquatting.
If AA buys: American-UnitedAirlines.com, then it is smart business.
I don’t think so.
Just because “American” is in the domain, doesn’t mean their not infringing on UnitedAirlines trademarks.
Ross says
Has anyone considered that it might just be a naive speculator, or someone who just wants to have fun by creating a buzz around what MIGHT be happening here through creating a bunch of names? Is that a possibility?
Andrew Allemann says
@ Ross – yes. As I mentioned in the story, the domains were registered at MarkMonitor. MarkMonitor only works with brands.