Oklahoma attorney general continues push for airline merger

Source: Tulsa World, Okla.文件倉Oct. 24--Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt is continuing to press for the merger of American Airlines and US Airways, telling a court in Washington, D.C., that he intends to file for "friend of the court" status for the upcoming trial in an antitrust lawsuit brought by the Justice Department.Pruitt's announcement Wednesday came the same day as mayors of seven cities, all with American and US Airways hubs, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to withdraw the lawsuit."The Department of Justice should drop its lawsuit and allow the merger of American Airlines and US Airways to continue," Pruitt said in a statement. "This merger will benefit consumers by providing more choices and options, and our amicus filing will make the case that the merger does not violate either state or federal antitrust laws and should move forward."Oklahoma stands to gain from the merger, not only from providing some stability for 6,300 American Airlines jobs in Tulsa, but also because US Airways doesn't serve Tulsa or Oklahoma City and travelers in the state would get more access to US Airways destinations.American Airlines and US 存倉irways have been lining up political support for their case for months. Oklahoma's congressional delegation has weighed in, and unions at the airlines have filed for similar "friend of the court" status in U.S. District Court in Washington.Six states and the District of Columbia have joined the Justice Department in the lawsuit.On the other side, mayors from Charlotte, N.C., Chicago, Dallas, Fort Worth, Miami-Dade County, Fla., Philadelphia and Phoenix sent the letter to Holder supporting the merger.Interestingly, Pennsylvania, Florida and Arizona are among the states joining the DOJ in the lawsuit, pitting state attorneys general against the mayors of the biggest cities in their states."Our cities rely on the airline industry to support existing business, attract new businesses and to keep our local economies moving forward," the letter from the mayors states. "The health and well-being of our cities and our citizens depends on this combination moving forward."Kyle Arnold 918-581-8380kyle.arnold@tulsaworld.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) Visit Tulsa World (Tulsa, Okla.) at .tulsaworld.com Distributed by MCT Information Services儲存