Originally Posted by
keysersose
Unless the total collapse of the airline industry continues, there is no way the DOJ allows LUV to buy ALK. How much overlap do the two airlines have? The entire west coast would be dominated by the new Southwest.
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Just to play devil's advocate... the west coast airports aren't slot controlled (well, SNA, LGB, but those are minor players here). With the travel downturn we are seeing gates becoming more available in LAX/SFO so where would there be a case for the DOT/DOJ to deny? Airtran+SWA combo dominated BWI and the DOJ didn't care.