American Airlines parent AMR Corp. and US Airways Group Inc ., whose expected merger has been held up by a Justice Department antitrust complaint that is slated to go to trial Nov. 25, yesterday reiterated their support for the merger and told AMR creditors that the two carriers plan to ask their respective boards to extend the merger termination date beyond its current Dec. 17 deadline, the Wall Street Journal reported today. If the stock-swap combination hasn't received regulatory approval by that date, then if a government order prohibits the deal or if either party wants to abandon it, the plan would die. However, the two airlines could extend the expiration date if both sides agree. Tom Horton, AMR's CEO, and Doug Parker, his counterpart at US Airways, said yesterday in response to questions from members of the creditors’ committee in AMR's bankruptcy case that they intend to do just that. The new potential termination date was not specified.
