The U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division on
Tuesday announced that it had approved Southwest Airlines' acquisition of
AirTran Airways, clearing the way for the carriers to merge. Southwest then
reaffirmed plans to close the merger on May 2.
According to a DOJ statement, a the merged carriers "will
be able to offer new service on routes that neither serves today, including new
connecting service through Atlanta’s Hartfield Jackson International Airport
from cities currently served by Southwest to cities currently served by AirTran."
Though the statement noted overlapping service on some Southwest
and AirTran routes, "the airports affected by the overlaps are not subject
to restrictions on slots or gate availability."