A group of 68 Democratic House members wrote to President Obama, urging the Justice Department to drop its lawsuit against the proposed merger of American Airline and US Airways, USA Today reported today. The letter dated Oct. 15 was spearheaded by Reps. Marc Veasey of Texas, where American is based, and Ed Pastor of Arizona, where US Airways is based. The letter was signed by seven Texans, five Arizonans and a variety from states where the airlines have major hubs, such as six Floridians. The lawmakers urge Obama to consider the workers, the travelers and the communities that could be hurt if the lawsuit prevents the merger. The airlines and their unions are eager for the merger, which they say will enable them to compete better against recently merged Delta, United and Southwest airlines. Trial is set Nov. 25. The Justice Department is opposing the merger by arguing that it would limit competition in more than 1,000 pairs of cities served with flights with at least one connection by American and US Airways.
