Wednesday, October 29, 2008

UPDATED: good / bad news

We found out all the names of the people who would be above us at the new company. Yes, I kept score, and no, I am not sharing. We'll just say that a lot of MN people must not have wanted to move.

Also - BREAKING NEWS from the AP

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Delta and Northwest airlines won antitrust approval on Wednesday, with the Justice Department saying the creation of what will be the world's largest airline will help consumers without hurting competition.

The approval means the only thing standing between the two airlines and the deal closing is a trial in San Francisco next week in a lawsuit brought by 28 travelers. Northwest CEO Doug Steenland has said he does not believe the lawsuit will stop the deal, which the carriers have said they hope to close by the end of this year.

Federal regulators wrote in a statement that "the proposed merger between Delta and Northwest is likely to produce substantial and credible efficiencies that will benefit U.S. consumers and is not likely to substantially lessen competition."

It noted that they already compete with other carriers on most of the routes where they currently compete with each other. The Justice Department also said consumers should benefit from savings on expenses for airport operations, technology, and suppliers. The companies have said they can cut $2 billion a year in expenses once they combine.

When Delta Air Lines Inc. and Northwest Airlines Corp. announced their deal in April, it was widely thought that they were looking to get approval before a new President took office.

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