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Don't expect American Airlines to exit bankruptcy anytime soon. Emerging from bankruptcy without the merger issue resolved isn't an option.

The lawsuit shows in graphic detail that the merger would cripple competition on more than 1,000 domestic routes, and that's a deep challenge to the airlines' contention that there is overlap on merely a dozen routes.

The merger quickly gained approval from creditors, shareholders, and the EU before encountering this potential game changer. The filing could mean serious trouble for the airlines, especially since the U.S. government approved previous aviation tie-ups.

Officials from American Airlines and US Airways may have blundered big-time when they publicly stated that their respective airlines could indeed operate independently. This deal looked so bad from an anti-competition perspective that even the attorneys general from Texas and Arizona, where AA and US Air are headquartered, respectively, joined the suit.

Airline seats in coach are getting ever-more cramped as carriers leave the legroom to passengers purchasing higher-fare tickets. Anything that would make long-haul flights more comfortable to non-elite flyers would almost be like manna from heaven.

Davies' advocacy of small airlines banding together under a single operational management to trim costs is an interesting one as traditional airline alliances are giving some ground to new kinds of groupings. His idea, though, would face regulatory challenges.

Most of these are for hotel rooms of today, smart incremental improvement in guest experience and hotel room efficiency. The Hotel Room of the Future will need a lot more than this.

American Express, other mega travel agencies and their corporate clients aren't going to be able to put the genie back in the bottle with badges and leader boards. There is a lot of turf-protection going on here.

There has been a lot of skepticism about whether Virgin America could turn itself into a profitable airline. It still faces tremendous competition and big-time challenges, but today's earnings announcement was a hopeful sign for an airline that a lot of people feel very good about.

Marriott is killing two birds with one product: It appears conscious and eco-friendly to customers while offering a creative attractive amenity to attract new guests.