United Airlines and Continental Airlines said they expect their proposed merger to close by 1 October after the U.S. Department of Justice ended its antitrust investigation

. DOJ indicated that a deal by United/Continental to lease gates and facilities at Newark to Southwest Airlines "resolves ... principal concerns regarding the competitive effects" of the tie-up. Continental and United pledged to "continue to serve all the communities both airlines currently serve. The slot pair transfer is expected to have minimal impact on combined carrier's route network."