Also, a bit of trivia: AA invented Sabre. Sabre can actually trace itself back to AA's first attempts at using computerized business process automation in the 1950s, before it was spun off into a separate company in 2000.

Should anyone be bored enough for a read, I actually think SABRE's history is sort of interesting: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabre_(computer_system)

A really interesting book I read about this is Hard Landing by Thomas Petzinger Jr. This contains more than just a history of Sabre. I read it more because I work in the travel industry ;-)

http://www.amazon.com/Hard-Landing-Contest-Profits-Airlines/...

on the other hand Sabre's acquisition of Dunder Mifflin was a move in a questionable direction.

http://dundermifflin.sabre-corp.com/

The reality is much more complex than that. There are numerous systems at AA for booking, reservation, ground ops, flight ops, airport integration, etc.... Many of these interact with SABRE, many of them are layered on top of each other but some only partially. Quite frankly it's pretty scary over there.

Isn't there an opportunity to consolidate what the IT needs really are with the US Airways merger?

"Integration costs" can be allocated to supporting what the business actually needs, and in the long-term there will be a cost saving. I appreciate the reality is not so straightforward.

US Airways uses SABRE as well, but let's just say your completely rational idea were to be adopted. The simple fact is they cannot execute. See my other comments.

SABRE is more of a platform than a hosting company. It even had it's own programming language at one point.

Yes, you're right. Hosting has a different meaning in the software industry - the correct term is 'Airline reservations system' but the colloquial term used in the travel industry is 'airline hosting'.