Delta is fanning cash like a banker at a strip club in an attempt to woo Japan Airlines away from its alliance with American Airlines. As of now, JAL is holding hands with American Airlines -- and has been since the mid 90s, giving AA an edge in the Asian market. The partnership with JAL has allowed AA to sell JAL routes to their own customers, taking a cut of the profit as part of the deal. Delta, however, is chomping at the bit to take over this alliance because it would give them a greater entree into Asia, particularly in the hot markets of China and Japan, expanding their plan for world domination led by flight attendants in red Richard Tyler uniforms.

Until now, though, Delta has just been lurking on the sidelines waiting for a fault in the Oneworld alliance between American Airlines and Japan Airlines. The crack, it seems, has appeared, in the form of financial difficulties for JAL. The airline is in need of some $1.5 billion, as JAL reported huge losses for the first half of the year. Delta has stepped in like a white knight to offer assistance in the form of a $1 billion check, which is essentially a bribe. The cost of the actual acquisition in terms of the cost to transfer the alliance from American to Delta is only somewhere around the range of $20 million, so the extra billion is just gravy -- a bold move on Delta's part that just might seal the deal. Show them the yen, Delta.