What an American-US Airways merger means for you

While American Airlines (AAMRQ) and US Airways (LCC) announced plans to merge Thursday, it will be several months if not years before passengers see any significant impact.

Passengers with existing tickets on American or US Airways and members of both frequent flier programs shouldn't fret. No changes will come anytime soon.

American's parent company, AMR Corp., is still under bankruptcy protection and will need the court to approve the deal. US Airways shareholders will also have to vote for a merger. Then the Department of Transportation and the Justice Department must sign off. Finally, once a deal closes, the new company could operate two separate airlines for a number of years.

When the airlines finally do merge, here's what passengers can expect: Continue reading "What an American-US Airways merger means for you"