The latest UAL CEO (after a 6 mo tenure) is going to ‘exit stage right’ because: A) thought it was supposed to be a fun job B) went wild with his expense account C) got talked into it D) didn’t know what he was in for. The answer is E) none of the above. His predecessor walked the plank, as you recall, because he issued the ‘or we will perish’ statement. This may have been a truthful statement but the error was in its bluntness. In steps interim replacement who necessarily calms by saying that ‘he has no intention of presiding over a UAL bankruptcy’. Well, now that he’s out that’s a very good option and a big stick to use to extract worker contract concessions. I guess that he didn’t want to be remembered as George ‘read my lips – no new taxes’ Bush as going against his word. Now US AIRways is talking the ‘B’ word but first they want the government loan money. Odd that a lender would consider an applicant making such hints.