Could another big airline merger take off?
"So much so, our board announced today that the merger is off".
The merger heads off a bid by United Technologies, an aerospace and appliance firm that hoped to boost its business in aircraft engines.
The last-minute trans-Atlantic call sealed the fate of the deal: neither party argued when the other said the merger was off.
But Caroline Guillaumin, an Alcatel-Lucent vice president for corporate communications, rejected assertions that the merger was off to a slow start, saying the company was on track to meet its cost-cutting objectives.
"This merger went off because there was a lack of understanding on what it takes to run a first-class luxury operation," said Arnold Aronson, a former Saks Fifth Avenue chief executive.
The merger was off, but the recriminations and lawsuits are just beginning.
The merger was off, and the recriminations and lawsuits were just beginning.
Once the glow of the merger wears off, the combined company faces continuing challenges to create even more growth.
