Rivals turn bitter in battle with United Continental Airlines CEO Gordon Bethune isn't making any friends at=20 financially ailing United. He called that airline's management "clueless"=20 earlier this week before predicting that the nation's No. 2 carrier would=20 have trouble staying afloat. "Look at Eastern, TWA., Braniff, Pan Am and=20 what they tried to do" to stay in business, he told The New York Times.=20 "United isn't too big to fail. They'll just make a bigger hole when they=20 hit the ground." However, many experts believe Bethune's comments were made= =20 less out of spite and more as part of a wide effort by United's rivals to=20 undermine its application for $1.8 billion in federal loan guarantees.=20 United's failure to win the guarantees will all but ensure bankruptcy at=20 the troubled carrier, something that the other major airlines figure=20 they'll benefit from. "Obviously, Gordon has expressed his motive very=20 directly," said a top United official, who said Continental would be eager= =20 to snap up United's routes and other assets in a bankruptcy court fire=20 sale. Meanwhile, United announced that it's management will take 11% pay=20 cuts =97 including CEO Glen Tilton =97 as part of the company's latest round= of=20 cost-cutting measures, according to both The Associated Press and The=20 Denver Post. The plan, expected to save $60 million, also eliminates eight= =20 of 44 executive officer positions. The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site: Roj (Roger James) *************************************************** escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: http://www.tntisland.com CBC Website http://www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ The Trinbago Site of the Week: (Island Events) http://www.islandevents.com (Island Events) courtesy of Roj Trinbago Website & TnT Web Directory Roj's Trinbago Website: http://www.tntisland.com TnT Web Directory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************