Chicago's competing United Ways are seen as having the most pressing need for consolidation.
"There are too many airlines, and there is a need for consolidation in the industry".
Mr. Guttenberg said that a Fiat-Opel combination would involve "a certain need for consolidation".
The industry's continuing troubles make the need for consolidation more apparent than ever.
"And this demand is one of the driving forces behind the need for consolidation".
The most likely partner is US Airways, whose chief executive, Doug Parker, has long advocated the need for consolidation in the industry.
Nobody in the industry argues against the need for consolidation: the top 10 companies account for just 30% of global production.
It talks about striking the right balance between the need for consolidation, reform and growth, but without accepting that the current mix is entirely inappropriate.
"There's going to be some need for consolidation somewhere down the line," said Mr. Hogan, a veteran of Qantas and the failed Ansett Airlines in Australia.
Several of the chief executives of the largest airlines in the nation — including Delta, UAL, US Airways and Northwest — have talked about the need for consolidation.
(That said, John C. Malone, who has reiterated here the need for consolidation in the cable industry, hustled to at least one meeting on Thursday morning).
