American, US Airways want to speed up anti-trust trial
By KYLE ARNOLD World Business Writer on Aug 22, 2013, at 3:40 PM Updated on 8/22/13 at 4:11 PM
American Airlines
Some travelers will encounter the most tangible evidence of the reboot of American Airlines on Monday when the airline begins flying its first Airbus A319 jets.
The American Airlines bankruptcy judge issued a written opinion Friday stating that he took the financial sacrifices made by union members into account when rejecting a $20 million severance deal for CEO Tom Horton.
American Airlines and US Airways want to begin arguments against the Justice Department’s anti-trust lawsuit on Nov. 12.
The airlines filed the request Thursday in a U.S. District Court in Washington D.C.
In the suit filed last week, the U.S. Department of Justice is alleging that the proposed merger between American Airlines and US Airways violates U.S. antitrust law and would cost passengers billions of dollars in higher ticket prices.
The merger would create the world’s largest airline and further concentrate the industry into just four dominant airlines.
According to Thursday’s filing, the Justice Department was hoping to be in court as early as Feb. 10, 2014, but the airlines want to speed up arguments and move on with their merger.
“The (airlines’) urgency to complete their transaction is far greater here than in ordinary merger cases,” the filing reads. “The government cannot justify its unprecedentedly slow trial schedule.”
American Airlines has some 6,300 employees in Tulsa, most at its maintenance and engineering base. The base near Tulsa International Airport is the company's primary overhaul and maintenance facility.
Lawyers for both the Justice Department and the airlines have vowed to take the trial to court and have refused to make settlement offers.
American Airlines
Some travelers will encounter the most tangible evidence of the reboot of American Airlines on Monday when the airline begins flying its first Airbus A319 jets.
The American Airlines bankruptcy judge issued a written opinion Friday stating that he took the financial sacrifices made by union members into account when rejecting a $20 million severance deal for CEO Tom Horton.
