Airline Merge To Effect Minnesota
Delta and Northwest airlines may merge as early as Wednesday, if they are granted regulatory approval, the Duluth News Tribune said.
The two airlines, both of which emerged from bankruptcy last year, are also waiting on union consolidation and pilot agreements, according to The New York Times and the Duluth News Tribune.
With Northwest based in Minnesota and employing 11,500 Minnesotans, Sen. Amy Klobuchar has been concerned how the merger will affect the state in terms of job cuts and hub or route changes, The New York Times and the Duluth News Tribune said.
“Any merger we might contemplate would be a transaction through the power of addition, not subtraction,� Klobuchar said in letter released by her office, The New York Times reported.
Other legislators have already said they would not support the merger. Opposition includes Rep. Jim Oberstar of Minnesota and chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructures Committee. He said combining the airlines would mean fewer jobs and higher fares, the Duluth News Tribune said.
The merged airline, however, would probably make the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport a major hub, second to Atlanta, the Duluth News Tribune reported.