USA – AMR, US Airways Seeking Trial in U.S. Antitrust Lawsuit
AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and US Airways Group Inc. (LCC) are seeking a trial of the government’s lawsuit to block their $12.1 billion merger as early as Nov. 12, while the Justice Department is pushing for a February date. A February trial would “cause serious harm and cannot be justified,” the airlines said in a joint filing yesterday. The carriers and the department asked U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington for a hearing to resolve the dispute over timing. “The parties’ urgency to complete their transaction is far greater here than in ordinary merger cases,” the airlines said. “American’s ongoing bankruptcy proceedings compound the costs and uncertainties associated with the delays caused by the government’s lawsuit, including approximately $500,000 in bankruptcy-related professional fees alone every day that the bankruptcy continues.” The suit is…