Originally Posted by
Flyby1206
The DOJ/DOT only has authority when slot restricted limited entry airports are involved. Look at SWA/AirTran and BWI. Not a peep about that because anyone can walk into BWI and start service tomorrow. The cat is already out of the bag in terms of eliminating competition, and now the LCCs and ULCCs will take part.
Don't think this is correct. The DOJ can conduct an antitrust review to determine whether any merger results in an anticompetitive situation. The DOT only assists in this determination.
Any future merger will come under intense scrutiny, just my guess but the DOJ will probably try to draw a line in the sand. This of course is dependent on which party holds onto the Executive Branch.