Here is my .02 cents worth on the buyout -

I worked with the guys that developed Open Skies.  They used to be with Morris
Air in Salt Lake City, which was purchased by Southwest Airlines in Dallas.
When SWA purchased the company, SWA suddenly "pioneered" ticketless travel,
which they acquired from the Morris air IT folks.  The Morris Air guys became
SWA guys, where they improved the design.

Then SWA embarked on a journey to produce a travel reservations system.  By
that time most of the old Morris Air guys had quit, not wanting to work with
the egotistical and unreasoning reservations project director.  They went back
to Salt Lake City Utah where they formed Open Skies and began to produce their
own reservation system to go with their ticketless system.  (And on a side
note, SWA cancelled their several year multi-million dollar HP New Res effort
July 98 - and the egotistical project manager went to work for guess who -
Open Skies in Salt Lake City - funny huh?  Now the system will be designed non
HP 3000, truly a shame.....)

Last that I heard from any of them they were doing good business with several
companies, some outside of the US.  Why they are selling to HP I haven't a
single idea.  But if the product is as good as it's touted to be, the sale
price has got to be good.  If it's not a huge amount, then knowing the folks
that are involved, my guess would be that the system is getting to big and
there is a major problem with it on the way that they don't want to handle
(pure speculation on my part due to past history).

I'd sure be interested to get the real skinny on why they are selling to HP.

Mark Wilkinson wrote:

> I saw this post twice today and was suprised at the lack of comment on the
> list. I don't know whether its
> a good or a bad thing at the moment..
>
> Mark Wilkinson.
> Sony Pictures Entertainment.