EK77WNCL,
It would be a TERRIBLE shame if DL bought them out fully and I hope everyone with the power to do so stops it happening! I for one don't want EU aviation to turn into the shambles the US has, perpetual mergers, petty, greedy management and fifty-odd <50 seaters flying between anywhere and everywhere all day.
Firstly to say US aviation has come through the ringer and post some serious consolidation the remaining big carriers are now operating on a sustainable footing. The enormity of the losses in the past was no way sustainable for the long term. A range of loco's are in the fold too, so competition does exist and these loco's are on the rise.
EU aviation is headed in the very same direction as the U.S. in the recent years. In the EU The number of carriers has declined massively and in the UK we had scores of airlines, but now we have a few big ones and a few small ones.
Unfortunately 'perpetual mergers' make commercial sense!!!