Delta Merger Could Provoke Hearings

A Delta Airlines merger with Northwest or United Airlines could spark U.S. congressional hearings if jobs are lost, the Cincinnati Enquirer reported Tuesday.

The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division regulates mergers. But House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers and Aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry F. Costello are considering hearings should a deal go through, the report says. The top-ranking Republican on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, John Mica is also considering hearings.

The possibility of jobs lost at the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport in Hebron, Ky., where Delta has a hub, has prompted the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber and the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce to send a joint letter to Delta, asking the company to, consider the region’s economic health.

No merger has been announced, but job retention is the bottom line. I just could never support a merger that would dramatically hurt Cincinnati, said Ohio U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt.